Apocalypse Now 2: Pacifist Armageddon
by KeronianLibrary
Summary: With Keron under attack, Keroro Platoon is their only hope. Can the bumbling platoon defeat the evil tribe, overthrow a corrupt government, survive teenage angst, and learn a powerful life lesson at the same time? Keron's Apocalypse draws nearer...
1. Goodbye Pekopon?

Heads up! This is the sequel/continuation of my last fanfiction, "Apocalypse Now". If you have not read it, **PLEASE READ IT FIRST**. The plot and character development might be a bit hard to catch on to, but I'll try to re-introduce and summarize all the plot details like any good author would. However, I strongly recommend you read the first part before investing any good time in this one. Thank You all for reading my stories! :D

**Apocalypse Now 2: Pacifist Armageddon**

**Chapter 1: Goodbye Pekopon?**

Dororo read and re-read the letter over and over, horror growing in his heart:

**ANNOUNCEMENT TO ALL INVADING PLATOON MEMBERS**

PLEASE REPORT TO THE GRAND STAR MOTHERSHIP

WITHIN 24 HOURS.

ALL ABLEBODIED KERONIANS ARE DRAFTED TO DEFEND OUR SOIL.

KERON IS UNDER ATTACK.

Since the deadly tribe of shape-shifters sent an assassin, Dimentos, to disrupt the peace in the Hinata Household while a fake Garuru platoon descended with plans to obliterate Pekopon, the platoon had no time to rest. With the AVCW, or Apocalypse Vortex Climactic Weapon destroyed and Pekopon safe from destruction once again, Dororo figured there would be a short time of re-cooperation before they were forced to once again return to the fray, tracking down the mysterious tribe that had plotted such a deadly game.

The Lance Corporal looked up at the sky. They weren't amateurs. Once it was apparent that Pekopon Invasion would fail, the skilled invaders quickly fell back to their second best target: Keron. Without a word, Dororo quickly departed from his home.

"They sure don't waste any time!" mused Keroro as he inspected the letter. "There is no choice. We must return immediately." Giroro especially was taken by surprise by his leader's quick executive decision. Normally, he would have greatly condoned quick and selfless action to protect the motherland, however, as conditions were, his one wish was to spend some time of peace with Natsumi.

"It's going to be hard, ku ku ku…" giggled Kururu, "Don't worry, even if you never see your girl again, I'll always be here…" Giroro shivered instinctively and wacked the Sergeant Major on the head with the butt of his gun. (There will be NO KuruxGiro).

Keroro nodded. "On any normal occasion, I would be reluctant to leave as well, but as situation happens, we were summoned by direct order to retreat and protect. We need our weapons specialist."

Giroro leaned on a wall, "I completely understand," he muttered dejectedly, "We will leave immediately then. I guess I have to tell Natsumi…"

As Giroro moved toward the door, a mixture of pity and sadness filled Keroro's face. He grabbed the Corporal by the shoulder and turned him around. "Since this is a military endeavor that involves bloodshed on our own soil, it will no doubt be a classified file in Keron's war records. If we tell the Hinatas now, after this is all over, they may be traced and mind wiped."

Giroro looked down, shaking. Suddenly, he whipped around and threw Keroro's hand off his shoulder. Quaking with rage, he pounded the wall. "WHAT DO YOU EXPECT OF ME!" he roared, "YOU THINK…you think…I could just leave…after all we've been through…after I finally confessed…WITHOUT EVEN SAYING GOODBYE?" A single tear rolled down his cheek.

"What we expect of you," nodded Dororo calmly, "Is nothing more than the duties of a soldier."

"The last thing I would think to hear coming from a traitor like you, Dororo." Growled Giroro, "But, I guess, you're right. When this is all over, maybe…maybe we will be able to resume the Pekopon Invasion."

"YEAH!" cried Keroro relieved that the outburst had ended without violence, "Let's keep positive! We'll be back! We definitely will."

"Even if we don't come back," piped up Tamama for the first time, "We can still come here if we get vacation time! We won't even have to worry about headquarters thinking we're slacking off!"

"Alright," cried Giroro, the soldier's gleam back in his eyes, "Time to take back our planet." Tightening his trusty belt and donning his signature rocket launcher, he quickly marched out the door leading to the platoon's ship. The rest of the platoon gave each other meaningful glances before rushing off to join their weapon's specialist.

"It's for the best," whispered the Corporal as he left. A single tear rolled down his cheek and splashed softly on the metal floor.

By nightfall, all the platoon members were loaded onto the shuttle, their ride off to Keron. They were shoved into a small space, the roomy lounge of the shuttle taken up by Tamama's sweets and Keroro's Gundam models. For some reason, Kururu hadn't brought any of his electronics.

"Sergeant Major sir, would you kindly shut up?" shot Tamama to the back of the craft. It was only ten minutes into the trip and patients were stretched thin, unaided by the fact that Kururu had just started laughing five minutes ago and hadn't let up once, not even to breathe.

Finally, Giroro snapped and whipped around, submachine gun in hand and loosed a few rounds. One hit Kururu in the chest sending him flying back, the second striking him right in the forehead. The badge turned and the Sergeant Major became a lifeless lump, his color changing to tan and features fading out.

Keroro and Tamama screamed and backed up, even Giroro looked a bit taken aback. Dororo was the first one to react. "A copy robot…that means that Kururu is still…"

Kururu laughed to himself back on Pekopon, a sinister and plot-driving plan forming in his head. Dubstep blaring in the background, the Sergeant Major put the final touches to his plan.

Ambling up the stairs, he first encountered Fuyuki. Showing him the summons from Keron, Kururu explained the situation. The boy was aghast. "We can't just stand here and do nothing!" he exclaimed, "We need to go after them!"

Kururu smirked to himself, how gullible, loyal, pure, and _fun _this boy was. If he told him that Keroro jumped off a cliff and the only way to save him was to jump off as well, Fuyuki would definitely be the first to volunteer. Probably the reason Momoka loved Fuyuki so much concluded Kururu.

"I just wanted to say goodbye, that's all. Nothing sappy, it would just be very rude to leave without notice," said Kururu, coyly, and seeing the look in Fuyuki's eye, continued, "Nonsense, it would be way too dangerous for humans to get mixed up in Keron's affairs." Feigning sincerity was a lot harder than it looked.

Natsumi walked out from behind the corner, a shocked expression on her face. "I heard everything…" Koyuki was also at her side.

There was a loud rumble outside signaling the arrival of Aki as well as the approach of an NPG helicopter. Everyone was gathered together to say the final goodbyes.

Well, not if Sergeant Major Kururu had any say in it.

**PLEASE REVIEW! ALL WHO READ MY FIRST STORY, THANK YOU AGAIN SOOOOO MUCH! DEFINITELY FILL ME IN ON HOW THIS SECOND PART IS PROGRESSING SO FAR. MY CURRENT PLAN IS TO MAKE IT MORE OF A NEW-STORY-LOOSE-SEQUAL KIND OF THING WHERE IT ONLY MAKES REFERENCES TO THE LAST STORY. THAT WAY, YOU DON'T HAVE TO WASTE YOUR TIME READING MY PREVIOUS STUFF :D**


	2. The Melancholy of Giroro

**Christmas Update! Sorry I haven't been able to write recently, but, well, MERRY CHRISTMAS!**

**Chapter 2: The Melancholy of Giroro**

The return ship harboring the platoon didn't have much in the way of luxury. Besides a few comfy chairs and a mini-fridge, the ship was quite bare. A cluster of whirring dials and spiking gauges lined the walls on the west side of the ship. A weapon cache stocked with Keron's finest armaments lay in the back, and on the Eastern wall, a sliding metal door with a machine gun turret.

Keroro eyed the display with slight distaste gracing his lips. Surely they deserved something more than a simple fighter ship. The rest of the platoon had fanned out across the ship, silently doing what they could to keep their minds off what they had left behind and worse, what lay ahead.

The Sergeant felt a twinge of regret in his mind looking at the Corporal. Perhaps it wouldn't have hurt to let him say goodbye as it was very possible that he might never see them again. "Well, too late now," Keroro voiced out loud, "The only way is forward."

Giroro lay in the back of the weapons cache polishing the weapons and getting lost in his own mind. He aimlessly caressed the titanium with his cleaning cloth and wondered what Natsumi was doing back on Pekopon. Had she realized that he was missing? Did she care?

Giroro snorted to himself: of course she wasn't worried about him, he was a highly trained weapons specialist well versed in all facets of the mental and physical aspects of war. She was just a normal human girl. There would be others, Keronian women that would tempt his fancy.

"Maybe I should just…forget about Natsumi," he breathed quietly, as if testing to see if the words would even pass his lips. Involuntarily, his trigger finger contracted as his body rejected the very thought of leaving the woman he loved. In his absentmindedness, he had forgotten to pull the live charge from the barrel of his bazooka. With any other weapon, it would have been OK. Just noise and maybe a small chain reaction, but the laser bazooka could punch through just about anything.

Giroro watched in horror as the beam left the barrel and his vision was engulfed in flames. The last thing he could recall was being sucked into the cold vacuum of space.

**Kururu's Ship**

In no time at all, Kururu and the rest of the Pekopon gang was hurtling toward Keroro's fighter. Being quite the engineer, the Sergeant Major's craft could go many times faster than the basic ship and in minutes, Natsumi spotted Keroro in the distance. Suddenly there was a bright flash and the back of the ship exploded launching debris deep into space.

Kururu scratched his head while the others screamed in dismay. Personally, he knew nobody had gotten hurt; it was probably just a spark and a slight tilt of the ship that caused the detonation. By regulations, until authorized, no soldier less than Lieutenant rank could enter the blast doors containing the weapons cache. If Keroro and the crew knew anything about how a military operation worked, it was the safety and authorization protocol.

Something interesting caught Kururu's eye as he flew in closer to survey the wreckage. Using thermal vision to track a hot ship in the cold of space was a smart move. He could easily scan around and search for a small vessel with four occupants with Keronian heat signatures. However, the ship he was approaching with four beings suddenly had only three after the blast.

"There's only three people in the ship now…did something happen to Uncle?" Kururu jumped in his seat.

"Mois, when did you board this ship?" questioned the Sergeant Major, slightly upset that he had not been aware of something.

"Well," Mois giggled, "my Lucifer Spear can do a lot more than just cause the end of the world, you know!"

Teleportation and phone capabilities in a handheld WMD…Kururu ground his teeth. How did the Angols get their hands on that kind of stuff? With a grunt to cover his embarrassment, the Sergeant Major returned to the task at hand. He typed quickly on the control keyboard and established radio contact with Keroro's smoldering ship.

**Keroro's Ship**

Dororo was the first to recover from the blast as he had leaped toward the wall and secured himself to the wall. Letting himself down, he hauled Tamama into a sitting position. He had been about to dig into a pile of cake when the force of the blast drove his head into the wall and the cake into his face. On the other side of the room nearest the captain's chair, Keroro slowly staggered to his feet.

Dororo quickly assessed the damage. The weapon cache had been completely obliterated. Only a few weapons survived and they were burnt and bent beyond recognition. The gauges and dials on the west were slightly scorched, but the reinforced glass that housed them had held fast. The sliding door for the machine gun had held fast, but the gun itself was lying on the floor: the blast had completely ripped it from the mount. Since the compression system and the ammo belt was attached and welded from the base into the actual gun, repairing it would not be as simple as putting it back on top of the tripod.

Dororo sighed. While two useful and probably expensive pieces of the ship had been damaged, the true precious cargo, the soldiers, had survived the blast. He looked around and smiled. Tamama was sleeping off the impact peacefully and Keroro was checking the basics functions of the ship for damages. Giroro was- Dororo's heart went cold and time stopped for a quiet second.

A call from Keroro shocked Dororo from his stupor. "HEY! Kururu has contacted us!"

Kururu face appeared on the screen. Without a pause, he opened with a very serious question: "Are all four of you on the ship?" Keroro was about to quickly answer an affirmative, but the Lance Corporal quickly put a hand on his shoulder. Keroro glanced around the compartment. From Tamama slouched on the wall, to Dororo and then back again.

"Where's Giroro?"

**Kururu's Ship**

Kururu banged his head against the keyboard in a rage. "I let you losers out of my sight for a second and you go make a big deal about nothing!" he grabbed his head and sighed, "When the explosion went off, the blast doors shut as a precaution! As you can see, there are only a few mangled weapons outside the blast doors. If they weren't there, there would be shrapnel all over the floors…and you all would be dead."

"Excellent," Keroro exclaimed, wiping a bit of sweat off his brow, "We'll just open the blast doors then. Our Corporal may be injured, but with your ship's first aid supplies, we should have no problem." Typing furiously on the computer, the Sergeant tapped in the passwords to open the blast doors. He met with unexpected resistance.

When he told Kururu over the video chat what was going on, Kururu grew even more agitated. "I hope to god that you remember the password."

"Of course I remember them! What kind of soldier do you take me for?"

"No comment 'leader'. Anyway, if the passwords aren't working, the shockwaves must have messed something in the circuitry. If I were on board, it would be no sweat, but since it's just _you _and _Dororo_, you'll just have to pull the manual override switch and open the gates that way.

Keroro sniffed at Kururu's attitude. "There's a reason that I'm the leader and not you."

Sergeant Keroro pulled the lever and the locks on the blast door disengaged with a hiss. Slowly, it lifted and the two plus Kururu watching from the video screen were horrified by what they saw. The back of the ship had been completely blasted off. Only empty space lay beyond the door and worse, Giroro was nowhere to be found.

Keroro whipped around; panic now flooding his heart, "You told me he was in there! You told me that the ship could survive a blast like that!"

"I wasn't mistaken…" muttered Kururu, suddenly at a loss for words. Suddenly, a thought came to him. There was only one thing that could have created a hole like that. A laser bazooka could quickly break through the reinforced metal. The explosion would have been severe and death would be swift. Had Giroro done it on purpose? Would he rather die than leave the woman he loved? Was his devotion that strong? Questions that he couldn't answer and subjects he never studied circled in Kururu's head.

The dam burst. Natsumi couldn't take it anymore. If something happened to Giroro so early in their life together…Aki, Koyuki, Momoka, and Fuyuki huddled in a corner.

Finally, within docking range, Kururu's vessel attached itself to Keroro's ship. To anybody passing by, it would have looked like Keroro parked his small fighter on Kururu's larger transport ship because of the size difference. Immediately after the "seatbelt" and "no-smoking" lights went out, Natsumi ripped off the belt and charged through the docking door and entered Keroro's ship.

"Stupid frog!" she cried, fear and anger mixed into a strangled cocktail in her voice, "What happened to Giroro. Why didn't he give me a heads-up? Why did he not even say good-bye?

Keroro looked solemnly at Kururu. "You've committed countless crimes by bringing these humans along with you on a classified mission. You may be put in prison when this is all over you know."

"I'd do it again in a second," answered Kururu without blinking an eye, "Do you not think that I would factor legal ramifications into my decision to bring them along? We need all the help we can get, and last time I checked, Natsumi's skill as a warrior is equal or even greater than Giroro's-

"WHERE IS GIRORO!"

Natsumi looked wildly from sleeping Tamama, to sullen Kururu, to Keroro and Dororo who were avidly avoiding her gaze. The message couldn't be clearer. Wordlessly, the rest of the platoon lead a shocked girl back into Kururu's ship before taking off again, course set for Keron. As the disabled ship slowly disappeared in the window, a single tear rolled down Natsumi's cheek. Aki tried to console her, but the girl heard nothing. As the ship disappeared completely, the single tear suddenly turned into a torrent as Natsumi realized and comprehended fully the gravity of the situation.

As she slowly cried herself to sleep, Keroro grimly marked Keron on the GPS. Whoever had caused Keron to send the distress call and send the platoon on this ill-fated mission was going to pay.


	3. Complete Minus One

**Chapter 3: Complete Minus One**

Kururu's ship roared on for hours. Where there should have been celebration, there was only sadness. Humans and Keronians were reunited, but with one member missing, all happiness was sucked out of the vessel. Dororo sat in the back of the ship meditating with Koyuki while Fuyuki and Aki discussed Natsumi's volatile emotional state in a hushed whisper. The shattered girl lay in a chair, fast asleep, her tears a depressing mold over her once radiant face. Kururu sat on one of the chairs with a laptop, but for some odd reason, just stared at his screen saver, lost in thought. Tamama had a pile of sweets in front of him, but he just wasn't hungry anymore.

Fuyuki glanced up from his discussion. Keroro, surprisingly, had not said a word since Natsumi's meltdown, and instead, was writing furiously on it. The boy was about to ask, but Aki looked pointedly at him and he sat down.

"Kero-chan probably feels just as bad about this whole thing as Natsumi does," Aki whispered, "It's for the best that we just leave him be, at least for awhile."

The space trip was dragging painfully along. With every living body in the room afraid to make the first sound, the inside of the ship began feeling cramped and claustrophobic. In the corner, Momoka began sweating. Being the pampered top 1% of society, Momoka had never had to deal with such things as being in an enclosed chamber for many hours. Usually, if something to that effect were to happen, it would involve being in close proximity to Fuyuki. All the boy wanted to do now, though, was to sit there next to his sister and mom. It was all too much for Momoka. The air was just too tense to breathe anymore.

"So what is going on with Keron?" asked Momoka, meekly.

Dororo opened his eyes and Tamama smiled. It was if a weight had lifted off of everybody's shoulders. Kururu chuckled, "I thought we were going to be silent forever…oh well ku ku kuu."

Keroro whipped around with his sheet of paper, the mischievous twinkle back in his eyes. "I got it!" he cried with excitement, "Kururu, take a look at this!"

The Sergeant Major accepted the paper and scanned it with skeptical eyes. He turned it over and read the back, scanning all the words carefully. Nobody dared say a word as Kururu bent down and typed a few equations into his database. "Actually, this is pretty good."

"Is this some crazy plan to reclaim Keron?" asked Natsumi, a weary note in her voice, "Or some new take on the best ways to conquer Pekopon?"

Kururu chuckled and tapped more information into his computer. "Of course not, silly girl. Our first priority is to find our weapons expert. Sad to say, according to my probability algorithms, we won't succeed unless he's with us."

Natsumi was shocked with surprise. So the stupid frogs really did have a conscience. Joy lit up her face as the girl nodded. Keroro leaped up from where he was crouched by Kururu's computer and somersaulted onto the captain's chair.

"Full speed ahead! Wherever Giroro has gone, we will find him!" he yelled, and punched his fist in the air, but too himself, he muttered "If we're not too late."

Five hours into the search, Keroro spotted something shiny in the dark vacuum of space. Upon closing in, Natsumi cried out with surprise: the object was Giroro's belt, a bit scratched but otherwise unharmed.

"Excellent." Kururu smirked, "Using the direction the belt was floating, Giroro is probably on that planet over there." A glowing planet lay in the distance beyond.

"Are you sure?" Keroro asked, "What makes you say that he landed on that particular planet?"

"Well, it's the biggest source of gravity around, considering the speed he was ejected from the armory, I'm sure that's where he went. Light is coming from that planet which means civilization, so he's definitely safe."

Natsumi sighed with relief. Without Giroro around…well, with all the activity in the cabin, he wouldn't be noticed in the corner polishing his weapons. However, it was the comforting, confident feeling he brought to everyone that was stronger than any firepower he could ever bring. Without him, she wasn't a whole person. Complete minus one.

She related it to a painting. If the picture was ripped, it didn't matter in what condition you found the other pieces, if there was one missing, one could speculate and wonder all one likes, but without that last part, it was nothing more than that; guess work.

_This clinches it. When we get to that planet, the first thing I'm going to do is find Giroro and truly tell him what he means to me, what he means to all of us. He got in this predicament because he was being careless, thinking too much about us and our relationship. If I tell him straight, maybe he won't have to ponder so much anymore._

"Dang!" cried Keroro, shielding his eyes, "There is so much light coming from that planet! It must be in the middle of some crazy festival!"

"With that kind of stuff going down on the surface, Giroro will be in good hands," nodded Tamama, "Yep, nothing to worry about."

"According to his velocity, physical condition, and the advanced state of the civilization below us, Giroro has a 99.9% chance for survival."

"What's the .1%?"

"Just the chance that the planet is unsuitable for Keronian life, which is extremely unlikely considering that most places unfriendly to Kerons are unsuitable for any life, compounding the fact that Giroro has many years of hostile terrain survival training."

Natsumi nodded, too relieved to speak.

Keroro squinted his eyes at the growing mass. Suddenly, his skin turned a white shade. He quickly typed a few commands into the control panel.

"What's wrong, Kero-chan?" inquired Aki, looking over the Sergeant's shoulder.

"The temperature gauge is maxed out…the shields are being over clocked."

"So?"

"This isn't a planet. Giroro was pulled in by the gravity of a small sun."


	4. Kururu's Magic Button

A short, almost comedic chapter in this otherwise dark saga has been written. This chapter is almost completely action, so those who like the dialogue must wait a bit. Sorry, I haven't had much time to write.

**Chapter 4: Kururu's Magic Button**

"Fire the main thrusters!"

"If we push them even more, sarge, this whole place will be in flames!"

"Fire the damn thrusters!"

The ship roared to life, fighting the gravitational pull of the small sun. Even with Kururu's superior engineering, the craft was having trouble, rocking back and forth with the pulsing rockets. Keroro pounded the control panel in frustration. The ship was heating up, and they weren't going anywhere. Suddenly, Kururu's eyes lit up with a mischievous glint. He trotted over to the control panel and smashed the glass surrounding the emergency button.

"What are you doing?" cried Keroro, grabbing the Sergeant Major's hand a second before he depressed the red button.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures," countered Kururu, struggling against Keroro's grip.

"I want to know what it does first!" shouted the Sergeant, the roar of struggling thrusters filling the cabin. Tamama looked around nervously. While he agreed with the Sarge that Kururu's little red buttons surrounded by glass were not to be trusted, Fuyuki and the other humans were close to passing out from heat exhaustion.

"I don't really know what it does. It has over a million possible effects, completely random," Kururu stated coolly. He then took advantage of Keroro's shocked disbelief to pry his hand free and press the button.

All noise stopped. The ship slowly started to rattle, subtle almost unnoticeably at first, but in a few seconds, was shaking like popcorn in a searing pan. As the vibrations picked up, Dororo quickly shielded the humans in a bubble using assassin magic as Fuyuki was turning a nasty shade of green. The rattling suddenly stopped, hurling Tamama forward into a wall while the ship then started shaking back and forth.

The movements ceased. Keroro uncurled from a ball on the floor, and Dororo released the magic with a sigh. A blue sky streaked with clouds covered the window, as Kururu propped himself up on the control panel.

"Ah…" he muttered more to himself than to anybody else, "Outcome #52,009. Good thing is wasn't Outcome #693,690, then we would have seen some fireworks."

"So the possibilities really were random," growled Tamama, jumping down from the window.

Dororo noticed Tamama's expression of rage and inquired politely only to get shut down by a roar of frustration. "As any IDIOT could see by just looking out the window, we're back on PEKOPON!"

Kururu looked at his hands in mock sheepishness as Keroro rolled his eyes. The humans were still recovering their senses on the ground.

"Well that was a nice ride, shall we retire?" asked Tamama, feigning grace and class, offering Kururu his hand.

Giggling, Kururu took it, only to be knocked spinning by a vicious slap. Tamama retired to his chair, priming the engines for takeoff once again. Kururu retired to the floor (in a slumped position).

It took a bit of coaxing, but the engines fired up again after the strain. As they soared once again through space, it was in unspoken consent that even though they had survived, if Giroro was there none of it would have happened.


	5. Keroro's Orders

Comedy? NO! Back to the main plot we go!

**Chapter 5: Keroro's Orders**

Four agonizing hours after the surprise teleport to Pekopon, the platoon finally found themselves looking out through the windows at their home planet of Keron. While there were several other ships hovering above the planet's surface, they weren't fighting. Despite the military urgency of their return, it didn't look like anything was moving too fast.

"Well this is pretty damn creepy," muttered Tamama as the ship moved through the atmosphere and taxied onto a military landing strip. The typically bustling runway was devoid of any life save for a few sprigs of grass poking up from the ground and swaying gently in the breeze. Kururu steered the ship into the hanger labeled "K66 A.R.M.P.I.T. Platoon".

Somebody had spray painted "losers" on the hanger sign. "Perhaps we should have put more emphasis on invasion during our stay on Pekopon," Keroro mused to himself, "I doubt our superiors will be happy to see us."

A flash of steel caught Fuyuki's eye. Not surprising since he hadn't stopped talking since they passed through low Keron orbit, smashing his face against the window in a desperate struggle to take in anything he could. "What is that thing?" he cried, grabbing Dororo by the ear and dragging him to the window.

"Oh," nodded Dororo knowingly, "That is the Grand Star, the mother ship and pride of Keron's military."

"What does it do?" Fuyuki pushed excitedly.

Dororo considered the question for a moment. "I'm not really sure. Being a ninja, I don't know much about the inner workings or weapon systems on it. If I were you, I would ask Kururu or Giro-."

An uncomfortable silence filled the room. Tears welled up in Natsumi's eyes. Suddenly, the door opened on the craft as it finally docked in the hanger. "C'mon!" Tamama cried, "I've never completely understood what made Giroro tick, but I know for a fact that he wouldn't have wanted us mourning his death, especially during a military operation!"

"Well said," replied Keroro, a determined expression gracing his face, "Here's what I want everyone to do. We're splitting up into three teams. Since we have no idea what we will face, it would be unwise to put all our eggs in one basket. Kururu, you and Aki stay at the ship. I need our resident computer geek to keep channels of communication free and clear as well as providing hacking services. In case enemy forces launch an assault on this craft, I'm sure Aki will be able to adequately defend this ship's important hardware. Dororo and Koyuki, I need you to scout ahead. Do not reveal yourself under any circumstance. Relay intelligence back to Kururu in regular intervals for analysis. Tamama, Natsumi, Fuyuki, Momoka, you're coming with me. We will be heading the main march to Keron's capitol building."

Everyone stared at the Sarge, mouths agape. His last sentences had actually sounded like intelligent orders.

"Wait, I'm with the main assault group?" inquired Fuyuki, referencing his less than competent physical prowess.

"I'll have my uses for you," smiled Keroro evilly.

**18:00 – Main Base: Kururu/Aki**

After the platoon had left, Kururu set up the communication lines, backed it with a Keronian Military grade encryption to keep out enemy hackers, and purged the computer of all wi-fi and internet backdoors. The computer was essentially locked out from the rest of the world, which is just what the brilliant Sergeant Major wanted.  
>Aki, having no enemy frogs to fight at the moment, resorted to sitting on the edge of the ship and swung her legs back and forth. "Hey Kuru-chan?" Kururu looked up slightly annoyed (though he secretly enjoyed being called Kuru-chan by Aki) and tilted his head slightly to the side; a movement Aki inferred as being the OK to go on. "I made a mistake involving a bank transaction. Do you think you could help me move around my funds a bit?"<br>Kururu bit his lip, trying to figure out if his ego would stoop low enough to help fix a banking problem. In the end, he figured there wasn't anything of more importance to do, so he pulled out a computer from a sack that hadn't been purged of internet connection and logged on. A shadow that didn't come from the two in the ship fell across the control panel.  
>Aki typed in the name of her bank and logged on. "Now what do I do?" Kururu sighed and took back the computer. A blackened hand reached in and silently grabbed onto a railing inside the ship.<br>Kururu flipped around the screen and showed it to Aki. "So? How much do you want in your account? 10 million or 100 million?" Aki took a step back in surprise.  
>"I only wanted you to move 200 dollars into my checking account! Don't steal anything!"<br>"What? How un-cool is that?"  
>"Stealing! That's what's un-cool!"<br>A dark wrinkly figure entered the cabin, concealing itself in the shadows.  
>"What's 10 million to a bank that has billions?"<p>

"You mean you would feel fine if you stole millions from the innocent?"  
>The creature had long sharp claws and it marveled at how the two hadn't noticed its presence. It slowly inched forward, propelled by stealthy, sinewy legs.<br>"Yes. If I had a conscience, I would never have moved up ranks in the military so quickly. It's amazing what a bit of blackmail can do, you hear?  
>"Well…I guess Kuru-chan will be Kuru-chan."<br>"I'm glad we got that straight."  
>The creature slowly got into a crouching position, readying itself to pounce.<br>"Shall I hack something else?"  
>"Please, no."<br>The creature leaped. Kururu never stood a chance.


	6. Kamimi's Courtroom

Longer Chapter. Kinda dark.

**Chapter 6: Kamimi's Court Room**

**19:00 Dororo/Koyuki**

Koyuki and Dororo leaped from one rooftop to another, spying nothing but empty dwellings. An hour into their search, Koyuki spied lights in one of the homes. Signaling to Dororo, she touched down lightly in the grass causing barely a ripple in its surface. A chill wind blew through the lush green blades and ruffled the ninja's hair. Dororo landed softly beside her and together they crept toward the back door, abandoning his ninja equipment for better stealth. The light was coming from a lamp, which glowed cozily on a bed stand. Koyuki relaxed her shoulders and was about to stand up when Dororo motioned for her to get down, his face strained in concentration.

As Koyuki returned to the prone position, she noticed voices coming from the next room. Suddenly, the door to the bedroom burst open and a young female Keronian toppled onto the rug. She didn't appear injured, but her eyes were wild with fear. Two male Keronians followed her in sporting heavy olive green coats and military headwear. They were of stocky build with more muscle than Giroro but not nearly as nimble. The female frantically back pedaled, trying to get up but tripping over her own legs. Koyuki made a motion to enter but Dororo motioned for her to stop, mouthing: _We must not be seen.  
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>"Come with us," commanded the first male almost mechanically, "You must perform the Examination like all your other friends." The female Keronian swallowed nervously and shook her head, unable to speak.<p>

"It'll be over before you know it," added the second male as he tried to lift her up from the ground. With a yelp, she lashed out smacking him on the cheek. Once again, the female returned to the ground.

"We do not want to spill unnecessary Keronian blood," the second male pleaded, "Come with us! We won't hurt you."

It was as if that last statement had struck a chord with the downed girl. She got up to her feet, panting with rage and exhaustion: "You won't hurt me huh?" she murmured softly, "Then what about my boyfriend, what about my Father and Mother?"

"They didn't pass the examination and were released back into the public. I bet they're on the way home to you now. We'll take you to be examined then you can meet them tonight, OK?"

"SHUT UP!" cried the girl unexpectedly, "YOU DIDN'T LET THEM GO! YOU KILLED THEM! DON'T THINK I HAVEN'T HEARD WHAT YOU SCUM TRAITORS DO! YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS SHOULD JUST GO BACK AND WORSHIP YOUR LITTLE GOD AND LEAVE ME AND MY FAMILY ALON-"

The club came down hard and fast. The female had no time to even draw a breath before it connected. A film of read splattered the wall. Koyuki gasped and the two males turned toward the back door. By then, the ninjas were gone.

"What was that back there?" Koyuki asked, still shaking a bit. As soon as Koyuki had compromised their position, Dororo had signaled a quick departure and they took off.

"I'm not sure," muttered Dororo, "but please, try and control your body a bit more. I'm pretty sure the soldiers didn't see us, but I can't be certain."

"Oh, so their soldiers then?"

"Again, I have no answer, but know that no true soldier of the Keron Army would beat a defenseless female without absolute and undeniable reason."

They soared through the night, aiming their course for the building that towered over the rest of the city: The Grand Capitol. If there was any place to spy, that would be it.

**20:00 Dororo/Koyuki**

Dororo and Koyuki alighted gently on the ledge of the Grand Capitol. It was a half relief to finally find Keronians milling around. However, they were wearing the same uniform as the ones that beat the young female. Dororo leaned over the edge so that he could hear better.

The man at the head of the soldiers was yelling. "YOU WILL FIGHT BLINDLY AND WITHOUT THOUGHT FOR OUR EMPEROR! YOU WILL NEVER FEAR DEATH! YOU WILL NEVER STOP UNTIL ALL THREATS ARE ELIMINATED!

The soldiers repeated what that commander said. "Looks like brainwashing," Dororo commented sadly, "It appears that something worse than war has befallen our race."

"What do you mean?"

"The letter that summoned us back stated that Keron was under attack. Seeing that there is no damage especially to the Grand Capitol, the only other explanation would be that we have already been peacefully enslaved. It was a government takeover."

"What's a government takeover?"

"It's when a planet is invaded not by force, but by attacking its political workings. A Pacifist Armageddon, I guess."

Koyuki nodded, "Our main goal now is to get inside this place and find out exactly what's going on, right?"

"Right, it looks like we need to use this air vent to…" Dororo's voice trailed off. "My ninja tools are gone…"

"Mine too! We left it all at that woman's house!"

Dororo frantically typed in Kururu's transmission on his portable communicator to see if he could get a stealth airdrop of supplies. While the Sergeant Major's frequency could be reached, when Dororo tried talking, there was no response. The Lance Corporal flicked on the webcam view to see if he could see Kururu. The screen blinked once and showed the inside of the ship. It was empty. Panning horizontally, Dororo suddenly gritted his teeth. A large bloodstain adorned the west wall of the ship. From the way it had hit the wall, it appeared to have been the work of a sharp talon. Neither Kururu nor Aki had sharp talons.

Dororo straightened up and stowed the communicator. Koyuki walked up with a crowbar. "We can use this," said Koyuki happily. Then, noticing her friend's face, asked what was wrong.

"Kururu is out of commission. Something happened. Awhile back while we were jumping, I tried contacting Keroro's Assault Team but their communicator had been dropped. I may be the only one left."

"Well I'm sure wherever your team is, they're waiting for you to rescue them."

"One can only hope," said Dororo as he smacked open the vent using the crowbar. "Come on. Time is of the essence."

"The one free frog!" commented Koyuki looking at Dororo holding the crowbar and crawled quickly into the vent. The metal passage was cramped and rusted on the edges. It was apparent that nobody had been in it for awhile. It was dark and cold. Koyuki shivered slightly as the effects of claustrophobia began to make themselves known. She didn't like the feel of the closed dim space, having spent most of her life in the open forest.

There were voices in the distance and the two ninjas strained to hear as they crawled closer. Eventually, they made it to another exit vent. Peering through, Dororo on the left and Koyuki on the right, they saw the inside of a magnificent round chamber. Pillars of gold rose clear to the ceiling and there were many rows of seats made of fine wood facing 11 high chairs.

"This is the Grand Capitol's Courtroom," whispered Dororo, "Only the worst of the worst get tried here."

The general seating was filled with thousands of Keronians as they looked upon a small male being judged. The high chairs were occupied by a row of smug looking officials. The seat in the middle was grander than the others and the Keronian sitting there looked like something out of a fairy tale. Large and festive robes adorned his toned body. A garish crown of feathers and flowers sat regally upon his head. In his hand, he held a scepter made of gold with a ruby on one end and an emerald on the other. If there was any frog that would be the leader, it would be this one as even the well dressed officials to his left and right seemed to quail under his gaze. At the Leader's feat was a slightly stubby Keronian. While dressed nicely, he had none of his master's charm or good looks. He had an unsightly potbelly and his stance was slumped, showing off his sweaty head.

"Call to order," commanded a strong voice. Koyuki knew at once who it was coming from. His very presence exuded the kind of certainty and strength many strive to obtain. The audience leaned forward in reverent expectation.

"That's right!" squeaked a high voice somewhere near the leader's feet, "Emperor Kamimi has spoken! You all be quiet now!" nobody was impressed. The potbelly continued, "I am the exulted Emperor's most trusted advisor. You must also show me the respect that comes with my positi-" He received a sharp kick to the rear end.

"That's quite enough, Shibobo," came the cool seamless voice of Kamimi, "I'm sure none of our fine guests have come to listen to your mindless drivel."

"Yes master," murmured Shibobo as he retreated into the darkness behind his master's throne.

"Very well, we shall begin. Guards! Bring in the first subject!"

An old Keronian in a shabby robe hobbled into the courtroom. The guards who escorted him lead him quickly to the center chair and thrust him roughly down. He lay slumped in the seat, a pitiful pile of rags. Emperor Kamimi stood up and eyed the man with distasted. "Name and crime," he commanded.

"Meroro, my emperor, and I refused to let my children join your blasted army."

"Hmm…Did you know, Mr. Meroro, that refusal to support my military is a breach of the law? Take him to the right door." The guards stationed around the old man scooped him up by the armpits and dragged him to the door on the right of the hall. As he passed the high chairs, one of the officials spit at him, mocking with his eyes.

Dororo was furious. "Since when did this Kamimi gain power and what authority does he have to suddenly change our laws like this!"

Examination after examination, citizens were forced to reveal their crimes on pain of death, and each time, Kamimi chided them gently, but with cold eyes. Dororo was having trouble watching. Emperor Kamimi was so arrogant in his control, that it was unbearable to witness. Just as Dororo figured the examinations would go on forever, Kamimi called: "Last one! Bring him in, guards!"

A Keronian covered in a long dark cloak hobbled into the courtroom. As the guards tried to help him, he violently shrugged them off, opting to limp down the aisle unaided. To Dororo's horror, a trail of blood followed the unfortunate male as he made his way to the center chair.

"They must have beaten him really bad," whispered Koyuki, "Maybe he didn't want to confess."

Emperor Kamimi chuckled cruelly at the state of the male. He flipped his scepter thoughtfully in his hand. "Tough one eh'?" he asked, "Just didn't want to confess. You know we'll get you in the end, so why bother resisting."

The Keronian refused to speak which seemed to make Emperor Kamimi angry. "Answer me when I talk, peasant!" he said through gritted teeth. Then, in a calmer voice he said thoughtfully, "You know, I should just kill you right here and slowly too. Then maybe you and your resistance ilk will learn your place."

With a grunt, Kamimi lunged forward with his scepter, aiming for the male's neck. With one millimeter to spare, the Emperor stopped. "Of course, I wouldn't kill you here. It would mess up the gold floors. You'll have your time later."

Kamimi walked back to his chair and sat down, smoothing his robes. "Now, if we're all done with that, name and crime if you please."

The robed Keronian remained silent. "NAME AND CRIME!" shouted Kamimi banging his scepter on the floor.

"You should really learn to keep your cool there 'Emperor'. You're making a fool of yourself." Kamimi ground his teeth, red with fury. Just as he was about to raise his fist, the male held up his hand.

"OK, alright. Name, Giroro. Crime, plotting to kick your ass.


	7. Assault Team K66

**NOTE:** If anybody out there likes my writing style, ANYONE is free to send in a request for a story of their choosing. I'll honor any requests (and probably write them.) However, if the request is a crazy smut, I'll have to carefully consider the pairing…

Also please note, if you're confused with the following chapter, keep close tabs on the time. As you can see below, the time is 17:00, and hour before Kururu and Aki were attacked.

**Chapter 7: Assault Team K66**

**17:00 Keroro, Tamama, Fuyuki, Natsumi, Momoka**

Kururu watched as the Assault Team K66 suited up for battle. With a shake of the head he returned to his command post with Aki. Real strength was in intelligence and that was what he was going to provide.

Meanwhile, Keroro led his soldiers to the armament section of the ship. When the five of them had crowded in the room, he laid a map on the table. "This is the hanger. We're trying to move toward the Grand Capitol. From what our sensors detect, the streets and most of the houses are completely empty."

"So what do we do?" asked Fuyuki.

"So what do we do SIR!" Keroro corrected, "I might not have been a good leader before, but on my own planet I expect you Pekoponians to cooperate."

Fuyuki repeated his question and lapsed into startled silence. What had happened to the Sergeant? The same thing happened when the moisture got heavy in the air, but unlike those times, Keroro seemed actually calm. "We will stick as a group but spread out. Since the logical attack would be to send many troops down the main highway, we will take the less direct side streets. Keep vigilant at all times. If we come into contact with anything, we will attempt to establish mutual contact. However, if that so fails, engage with everything you have." Keroro marched down the aisle of soldiers and handed out blasters. He gave Natsumi a SMG similar to Giroro's, Momoka got a heavy shotgun, and Fuyuki got a small pistol.

"This is all…sir?" questioned Fuyuki looking down at his small gun then glancing towards Momoka's huge shotgun. Momoka blushed and offered to switch guns. After a moment though, Fuyuki realized that he couldn't walk with the large weapon and gave it back. Tamama had his own problems.

"WHERE'S MY WEAPON!" he whined, but Keroro shut him up with a slap on the head. Without hesitation, Tamama launched a Tamama Impact which blasted a sizable hole in the hull.

"See? Your whole body is a weapon," stated Keroro simply, "and if you ladies are done complaining, we have a plan to execute."

**21:00 – Giroro**

Giroro smirked to himself. Kamimi appeared regal but he was just a child inside. A real warrior king can control his anger and an inept one will flaunt it as a tool of intimidation. "Naturally, there is always somebody stronger than you, but if you appear calm in the most dangerous situations, most enemies will become afraid of what you are like when you're angry. Even if you aren't much stronger than you are when you're composed, the enemy won't know that will they?"

Kamimi turned a scorching red and pulled out a concealed handgun. "I don't think you're in any position to be lecturing," he laughed, "I've read about you. Corporal Giroro, weapons specialist of the ARMPIT Platoon. Lover of Pekoponian females, traitor of Keron."

"So you know me do you? Does that file also mention how many bastards I plugged who were just like you?"

"Again, the proper response should have been 'please have mercy'. I'm holding the gun, remember?"

"How could I forget? You only have a gun to protect you."

"And what do you have? You're tied up with rope!"

"Comrades like Dororo. He has helped me out of more than one sticky spot, I'm sure he'll do it again."

Dororo's heart leapt. By Giroro's tone, he knew that the weapons specialist knew. Feeling around on the metal floor, Dororo found a sharp piece of metal that had rusted off the panel. Slipping his hand quietly through the cracks in the vent, he threw.

Giroro felt the ropes binding him loosen as the shard cut the cord. His body was still weak, but his soldier mind burned with thought. The door…no, it was too far away and the crowd would likely block him in a panic. The back room…no, that would mean getting past Kamimi and that would be nearly impossible. Burst through the roof? Giroro felt a couple of laser shells in his pocket. If he were to push the manual release on them, a powerful laser could rocket him up toward…of course that wouldn't work. He would probably shoot up and break his neck, or just blow himself up. He didn't even know if he could steer the shells or if they had enough power to get him off the ground at all. It was a plan with a thousand variables all pointing to no.

Giroro primed the shells. Who said it would be easy?


	8. Back From Hell

I've been getting a few comments saying "UPDATE!" and "MORE!" Some might wonder why I haven't been writing at all recently, and I apologize. Finals in school have been taking up all my time, but now it's all over so I'll be updating frequently.

By the way, THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT! I'm glad people actually read my stuff. Once again, anyone with requests for future stories, please speak up!

**Chapter 8: Back From Hell**

**19:00 Keroro, Tamama, Fuyuki, Natsumi, Momoka **(please note the times)

The streets were deathly silent as the assault five trooped down the main road. It was about two hours in when Keroro held up his hand. "Alright, if I remember correctly, one block down and we will be in the range of the Capitol's cannons. I want to split up now."

The others shifted uncomfortably as the Sergeant fixed them with a critical glare. There had been no trouble so far, but it was that very fact that put everyone on edge. It seemed just a bit too easy. A large group made things less scary, and nobody was looking forward to breaking it up.

Keroro was silent for a moment, eyes closed, and a deep furrow in his brow. Finally, he stepped forward and motioned for Fuyuki and Momoka to form one group while Natsumi and Tamama would make up the other. "Fuyuki and Momoka, your squad will be the tactical minesweepers of this operation. Fuyuki's strong observation skills will be needed in discovering ambushes. Momoka, I'm counting on you to defend him. I'm sure you'll both take care of each other."

Momoka blushed and saluted as Keroro moved to Natsumi and Tamama. "You two will be the shock troops. Even against an army, I'm confident that your combined strength will let you prevail. If you have no objections, I will be joining Momoka and Fuyuki's squad at least for now. We will proceed quickly from here on out. Fuyuki, take the left, Natsumi, the right."

Fuyuki walked quickly but carefully, taking in all the sights of the empty street. All seemed still, but he didn't know how long that was going to last. In a normal military operation, ambushes were a danger, but it wasn't the biggest threat. However, in a normal op, there would be more than five soldiers. One surprise attack would be the end, and Fuyuki knew it. Not a happy thought. A few more minutes passed in tense silence.

Keroro shivered involuntarily and nervously tapped his fingers lightly on the trigger of his machine gun. _I'm sure that Natsumi's team is a little behind us and providing cover, but was splitting up a good decision? I'm honestly pretty scared. Whoever is behind all this probably has control of the Capitol and could fire on us at any time. We'd be defenseless._

"Stop and keep quiet."

Momoka and Keroro jumped at the sudden order but quickly recovered and moved into a crouching position. "You see the grass on that lawn? It's been pushed down, likely the work of a large foot or some kind of boot. If you look at the grass anywhere else, it's pristine."

Natsumi's voice crackled in Keroro's earpiece, "What's going on?"

"Fuyuki's found a possible ambush spot."

"Where?"

"Your 11 o'clock"

"Should we level the place?"

"Wait. There is a small chance that the Capitol has not discovered us yet, and if they have, they might be waiting for us to make the first move. If we blow that place up, they'll have more incentive to open fire."

"Confirmed…um…awaiting further orders."

Keroro turned to Momoka and nodded, "I'm going in by myself. Keep Fuyuki safe whatever happens."

"NO!" Fuyuki was on his knees, blocking Keroro's view of the house, "You can't do that! You're the commander! If anyone, let me go. I'm the most expendable after all…"

The Sergeant walked over and placed his hand on Fuyuki's shoulder. "Your words are touching, soldier, but I know this planet better than any human. If I am to fall in there, I'm confident that Tamama will make a fine leader. You and Momoka need each other so I can't put you in unnecessary danger."

Natsumi's voice came in on his earpiece, "I'm not letting you go in there alone, you know. We gotta stick together or we're not making it out of this one alive!"

"Natsumi," began Keroro, ignoring her protests, "I want you to move up to Fuyuki's group. If not for all this, Giroro wouldn't have fallen into the sun. He will be avenged."

When all four were present, Keroro turned to them and spun his gun to his side and saluted, a powerful look on his face, "Natsumi, if you hear me say "plan B", level the house. No questions." With that, the Sergeant marched into through the front door.

He entered the house and quietly closed the door. As soon as he did, the noise from the outside was completely shut off. _That's right…some Keronians who party often have taken to soundproofing their homes._ Every step he took sounded like the crashing of pots and pans to his ears. The first steps felt like an eternity.

_My speech out there was badass, but I really can't do it! Also, Tamama would make a lousy commander! Why did I agree to go in by myself anyway?_ Keroro thought about if for a little while. _I have no idea why I did it, but I'm going to have to see it through. If run outside and beg for help, my soldiers will never follow my orders again._

Gritting his teeth, the Sergeant moved quickly down the hallway and reached the main hub. _From here, I'll be able to access every part of this place._ Holding up his hand, he remotely teleported a small pouch to my hand. _I have a few tricks up my sleeves. These motion sensors will alert me when anyone is any room._ Pulling one out of the pack, he peeled the backing off exposing an adhesive surface. He slapped it on the wall and moved forward quietly. The house was silent as a grave and it unnerved him to no end. Reaching in the bag again, he pulled out a small watch. Keroro slipped it on his arm and flipped the on switch. A pulsing orb appeared on its view screen highlighting where he had put the first sensor. _This will let me track where I put those motion things._

Keroro was in the kitchen laying some motion sensors when a light from his watch alerted him. The main hub's sensor had been triggered. Rushing for the door, he opened fire, but when he burst into the large room, there was nobody to be seen. As the noise from the shots faded, the silence once again pressed around Keroro's ears.

Another disturbance! This one was in the living room area. Loading a fresh clip into his gun, he walked slowly to the door and, after taking a deep breath, kicked it in and opened fire. The feathers from a punctured sofa fluttered into the air, but once again, nothing. A sensor in the library! Sweating, Keroro ran in and sprayed rounds into an empty room. A blip in the kitchen! It was at that moment that the Sergeant realized the horrible truth. He was being hunted.

As the Sergeant stared in disbelief at his watch, a blip appeared in the main hub again, then the living room as well, then the stairway, the bedroom, the library! Keroro screamed as he realized that the enemy was in the room with him. He turned a full 360 but couldn't see anyone. His watch was going crazy. He tried to fire his gun, but his hands were frozen. All the sensors were active now, but the room was still enveloped in a dead silence. The stress was too much. Keroro tumbled to the ground as his mind overloaded.

"Sarge! Are you alright?"

_That voice…Fuyuki? Where am I? What happened?_

Keroro opened his eyes to the worried face of his best friend. Suddenly, a surge of energy caused him to leap to his feet, "What are you doing in here? I told you to stay outside!"

"I couldn't let you face the enemy in here alone!"

Keroro glanced around, "I distinctly remember all of the motion sensors going off…"

Fuyuki looked at his friend with a kind expression. "Well, seeing as your watch has no weird blips on it, it must have been all a dream, right?"

Keroro acted quickly. In a fluid motion, he pulled a combat knife from his bag and sliced off Fuyuki's arm. With a deep scream that was not his, Fuyuki melted into a puddle of black ooze.

"How the hell did a pekoponian know about how my sensor watch works?"

"Very perceptive, Keroro," the figure was jet-black and rising out of the melted puddle. "Surprised? Did you think your red friend had gotten rid of me for good?"

"Dimentio the shape-shifter. Back from hell are we?"

Facing his old foe, Keroro realized with a jerk why he had volunteered to go alone. He had to face his fears. He had to prove to himself that he was a good commander. Gripping his knife, Keroro sprang at Dimentio aiming for the head.

Immediately, the shape-shifter's hand turned into a sword which parried and sent Keroro flying. Hitting the wall, the Sergeant felt the wind leave his body. He dropped to the ground, going down on one knee. Walking forward slowly, Dimentio chuckled cruelly.

"Is this all that the great ARMPIT commander has to offer in a fight? How pathetic."

Keroro laughed and jumped backward as Dimentio swung his sword. It was a close call, and a thin ribbon of blood was suspended in the air as the blade nicked Keroro's stomach. Landing on his feat, Keroro switched on his communicator.

"Natsumi! Backup support needed!"

The receiver crackled for a few seconds before Natsumi responded, panting and hoarse, "We're pinned down out here! There are creatures everywhere! You need t-"

The line went dead.


	9. True Commander

Author Note: This chapter is dedicated only to the fight between Keroro and Dimentio. It's kind of graphic but whatever, right?

**Chapter 9: True Commander**

**22:00 Keroro**

"So it's just you and me then," murmured Keroro, gingerly touching his cut stomach, "You won't get that lucky again, believe me."

"Oh," came the snide voice of Dimentio, "I won't need luck."

Keroro held up his hand. _All I need to do is teleport a bazooka and Dimentio is finished! _Nothing happened.

"Looks like you're pretty cut off. Weaponless and alone."

Keroro answered by throwing his whole weight into a deadly thrust at Dimentio's midsection. With a swift motion, the shape-shifter caught his blade and casually flipped it out of his hand. Keroro stood stunned for a moment as his only defense clattered to the ground behind him, before a rain of blows descended upon his head. The Sergeant covered shielded his face and jumped backward, already feeling the bruises forming on his arm.

Scrambling to reclaim his knife, he expected to be attacked again, but Dimentio only laughed. _So that bastard thinks this is only a game...not like I'm putting up any real resistance right now._ Blade in hand, he turned around again and faced down his foe. "A true commander never backs down!"

"A true commander can fight," came the mocking response.

_He underestimates me. That's the only advantage that I have at this point. He doesn't see me as a threat, so it isn't important to finish this fight quickly._ A shiny sparkle caught Keroro's eye. There was a little badge imbedded in Dimentio's chest that he hadn't seen before. _Wait! That's a mini signal jammer! If I destroy that, I could summon any weapon I want again!_

With fresh hope, Keroro ducked low and sprinted for the staircase to the left. The knife was never going to let him get close enough to inflict a deadly blow against the jammer. He was going to need to find a ranged weapon.

"Escaping are we?" came the gleeful voice of Dimentio. His left arm changed into a harpoon cannon which discharged at Keroro's body. Seeing it coming for his head, the Sergeant's adrenaline kicked in. He ripped a floorboard from the staircase and threw it at the harpoon. It stuck, and the cannon quickly retracted the board which hit Dimentio in the face. Keroro ignored his enemy's roar of fury and ducked inside the first room he came to.

It was obviously a child's bedroom. The holographic wallpaper was that of the evening sky, and army frogs littered the ground. On a desk lay some unfinished homework, while a model of the Grand Star and several Captain Geroro disks lay above it on a shelf. However, it was the toy chest that interested Keroro the most. Opening it up, he found exactly what he was looking for. A toy crossbow and some arrows lay at the bottom.

The crossbow was very unique. On the bottom was a clip, not unlike a gun, and several arrow could be loaded up and fired in rapid succession. The toy was also powered by a motor, not by a spring, so the more electricity was running through it, the more powerful the shot. _I have to work fast._

Dimentio was having the time of his life. He knew exactly where that stupid frog was hiding, but he made no effort to go in for a quick kill. Why spoil a good hunt? Instead, the shape-shifter went through every room starting on the opposite side of the hallway. That way, the frog could sweat it out as he got closer and closer. Finally, he approached the door to the final room. This was it. In a few seconds, the ARMPIT platoon would finally be crippled and Armageddon would befall Pekopon once again. With a giant swing, he knocked the door off its hinges.

Keroro ran around the room. He grabbed the AC cords and hooked them up to the battery. He grabbed the lamp and the computer and hooked it up to the battery as well. In a few seconds, the crossbow was getting an energy jolt from over five different outlets. Just in time. The door burst open and Dimentio walked in, filling the entire door. Keroro grabbed the clip and attached it to the bottom. A shot fired and Dimentio took a step back in surprise. It was all Keroro needed and the Sergeant was out the door in a flash.

The bolt was a toy one, but with all the extra energy, the velocity was its best friend. Still, while it did sting a little, it was more annoying than anything.

"Really? Is this all the brave commander can think of? A toy?" cried out Dimentio, chuckling with genuine mirth. He got another bolt to the face as a response. It hit his nose square on and it started to bleed. All laughter stopped immediately.

Keroro grabbed the railing of the stairs and flipped over in an attempt to get to cover, but it was too late. Dimentio's right arm turned into a crossbow of his own and fired. A huge arrow soared into the air before breaking into countless razor shards. The Sergeant dived for the opening to another door, but was impaled by the shards, two going in his shoulders and arms, five imbedding in his ankles, and another twelve shooting straight into his stomach.

Blinded by pain, Keroro stumbled back, attempting to pull out all the shards. The cuts were shallow, but bled profusely. Dimentio fired another huge arrow into the air, but Keroro managed to deflect it with three good shots from his crossbow. The shards rained down this time on the shape-shifter. He blocked it with his left hand which suddenly became a large shield. Swinging it around, the arm turned into a huge club that caught the Sergeant in the gut one floor below.

Keroro felt himself slam into the wall for the second time and slumped to the ground. He gingerly felt his chest. _That has to be a few broken ribs…_ He choked and spit up blood all over the floor. Feeling the loss for the first time, Keroro slid to the ground in a fetal position and his vision began to dim.

He saw Dimentio standing over him. He was saying something, but Keroro's ears weren't working properly anymore. _Perhaps this is the end? I don't know what I was trying to accomplish by being the commander anyway. I'm not cut out for it. This one enemy…I can't even hurt one guy._

Suddenly, Keroro became aware of an outside noise as his ears stopped ringing so loudly. He had crashed into the wall so fiercely, that it had violently cracked in some places. Finally, he could hear what was going on outside…

The sounds of Tamama Impact as well as the battle cries of Momoka and Natsumi could be heard. Even Fuyuki seemed to be firing his gun. _That's right…nobody else has given up yet!_

"NOW DIE!" Dimentio's voice came back into focus. He raised a huge sword.

Filled with sudden strength, Keroro aimed the last arrow at Dimentio's jammer and fired. The shape-shifter staggered back in pain as the arrow shattered the device and went further into the flesh. "You…YOU!" came the roar, "You attached the blade of your knife to that last arrow!"

Keroro silently checked the status of his communicator. It was online. He could get his weapons now.

He was too weak to dodge the blade now. It hooked down and caught Keroro in the belly, slicing through his body and lifting him off the ground. A rain of blood splattered onto the wall behind him, and a trickle of red seeped down from his mouth.

Dimentio lifted Keroro close to where he could hear his very breathing, and whispered, "Oh how the mighty have fallen, leader of the ARMPIT platoon."

"Yes, how the mighty have fallen," whispered Sergeant Keroro, using the last ounce of his strength to lift a bazooka he had just summoned to Dimentio's head.


	10. Darkest Moments

Sorry about slow updates! More work than possibly expected…

**Chapter 10: Darkest Moments**

**23:00 Natsumi, Tamama, Fuyuki, Momoka**

The house exploded violently sending pieces of wood splintering across the street. The attackers that had been assaulting the four suddenly stopped and keeled over. The danger was far from over, though.

An explosive slug slammed into the road right next to Tamama. The shrapnel sliced through his leg causing him to arch is back and scream. Looking toward the horizon, Natsumi realized what was happening.

"TAKE COVER! THE GRAND CAPITOL IS FIRING!"

It wasn't an hour previous that Keroro had warned them about the guns on the Capitol. Cursing, Natsumi sprinted toward the cover of another house, grabbing the motionless figure of Tamama in the process. Fuyuki and Momoka were already on the move. Suddenly, Fuyuki sensed a change in the wind to the right. It took only a split second to make the decision. Mustering every ounce of strength he had, Fuyuki veered right and slammed Momoka out of the way. The shell slammed down. Fuyuki dimly saw his girlfriend fall to the side, the shrapnel barely missing her body.

He was flying in the air. He knew he had shards of metal in his back, but the feeling was already gone. It was only then when he began to feel scared. What had happened to his mother? What was going to happen to Natsumi? Was he going to die? Fuyuki Hinata felt himself hit the ground.

_Momoka…I don't want to…die…_

Momoka hit the road hard. A white hot pain shot up her right arm. She tried to move it out from under her, but it wouldn't move. Moreover, it was twisted at an odd angle. A cry escaped her lips as she figured out what had happened. Fuyuki's limp body was lying only a few feet from her.

Another shell touched down farther down the street completely obliterating another house. Momoka gritted her teeth as unbidden tears formed in the corner of her eyes. _If I don't do something now, not only will I die, Fuyuki will…_

Screaming with pain, Momoka dragged herself up from the ground. Her dark self was in control. Slinging Fuyuki's prostrate form over her shoulder, she staggered quickly into the door of the house. Natsumi was already inside. She gasped at Momoka's right arm and her brother's state, but now wasn't the time. As soon as the two were in, Natsumi slammed the door shut and motioned to the basement trap door.

**24:00 Natsumi, Tamama, Fuyuki, Momoka**

The toll was high. If it had been daytime, the shells would have been easier to dodge. Nobody knew that better than Fuyuki. Slowly, his eyes fluttered open to Momoka's angry face. "Uh…Momo…Dark Momoka?"

**"YOU IDIOT!"**

Fuyuki's eyes snapped open, "Eh?"

**"WHY DID YOU DO THAT?"**

"Do what?"

**"WHY DIDN'T YOU SAVE YOURSELF?"**

Fuyuki was shocked to see that even in her dark form, Momoka was still crying. Looking to the side, the boy saw the cast. "What happened…oh no…"

Momoka threw her good arm around Fuyuki and kissed him on the lips.

**"I…I'm glad you're alive."**

As Fuyuki pulled her in closer, sharp hair tips hallmark of Dark Momoka began to soften into the usual curls. He felt his face grow warm as his girl lowered her body on top of his and smelt the perfume lingering on her hair. Fuyuki realized that he was shirtless when Momoka bent down and kissed his bare chest. Looking down, he realized that while the scars were present, the pieces of shrapnel had all been removed. Even better, his body didn't hurt at all.

_Perhaps this is heaven...but then, maybe I am still…_

To test his theory, he grabbed Momoka's good arm and flipped her over so that he was on top. Blushing wildly, Momoka looked up into eyes of the man she loved so much.

"P…please Fuyuki-kun...take my…"

"ENOUGH!"

Fuyuki and Momokas' heads whipped to the left in unison. Natsumi sat there, blusing, but looking thoroughly annoyed. Tamama sat to the right of her, a vein pulsing in his temple.

"When did you get in here?" asked Momoka weakly.

**4:00 – Natsumi, Tamama, Fuyuki, Momoka**

Little sleep was had in the impromptu bomb shelter that night. It was not long until Natsumi just gave up and sat down at a small table. Pressing the button on the table, the top light flickered, and went out. Sighing, she hoisted the heavy emergency lamp next to her. It cast a eerie glow around the empty basement. Finding a scrap of paper and a pen in one of her pockets, Natsumi began writing a list.

Natsumi: Combat Effective

Tamama: Wounded leg

Fuyuki: Combat Effective but on heavy painkillers

Momoka: Broken right arm

Aki: Missing

Kururu: Missing

Dororo: Missing

Koyuki: Missing

Keroro: Missing

Giroro:

Tamama limped over using a stick as a crutch and examined the list. The movement roused Momoka and Fuyuki who were both stuffed in the same sleeping bag that had been found in one of the closets in the basement. "Wait, how come there isn't anything by Giroro's name?" Natsumi looked down at her feet.

Tamama sat down, his bandaged leg reflecting the dim light. "These are the darkest times of the ARMPIT. For all I know, I could be the only one alive." There was a somber silence punctuated only by the sound of shells exploding.

"Wait," cried out Fuyuki startling everyone out of their stupor, "Those shells! After I regained consciousness, I could only hear them really far away. They're getting closer again!"

"And what in the world is so good about that?"

Fuyuki clenched his teeth and sent a quick prayer up to the heavens. _Please let me be right._

The ceiling began to crumble. Everyone looked up. If it was an enemy, this was it. Nobody was in any condition to fight at the moment and in the cramped basement, movement was going to be impossible. A shell touched down outside the house sending a shockwave straight through.

The ceiling caved leaving a sizable hole. Natsumi quietly grabbed a gun and held it out of sight. A moment passed in silence.


	11. Reunion

Yeah…I haven't updated this in a month…

Sorry. I would say I was busy, but everyone is busy so that makes for a lousy excuse…anyway, continuing on.

**Chapter 11: Reunion**

Natsumi leveled her gun, a moment passed in silence. She gulped as the last fragments of ceiling clattered noisily on the ground. The thin film of dust that had floated up from the ground slowly settled again. Tamama opened his mouth, ready for anything. Momoka pulled Fuyuki close as they huddled on the sleeping bag.

Three figures dropped down. One was as large as Natsumi, but the other two appeared to be around Tamama's height. They were all dressed in black robes. "HANDS UP!" Natsumi shouted as she poked the foremost figure in the face with the barrel of the gun. Immediately, the two robed entities in the front raised their hands and back up. However, the other small robed figure refused.

"It's us! Don't shoot!"

Natsumi fell backwards in shock. "Koyuki?"

"The one and only, and look! Dororo too!"

With a flourish, the two figures ripped off their robes revealing the unscathed forms of Dororo and Koyuki. Looking around, they frowned. Dororo was the first to speak. "It seems you fared worse than us."

Natsumi smiled weakly and gestured to Tamama and Fuyuki, "At least they're still alive. Keroro didn't quite make it. He sacrificed himself to save us," the words just slipped out of her mouth like water over a cliff. Her mouth felt numb.

Suddenly, Tamama screamed. Startled, everyone turned in his direction. With a shaking finger, the tadpole pointed at the final shrouded figure, tears filling his eyes, "Corporal Giroro?"

"Hmf…yeah it's me." Giroro took off his hood revealing his dark red face.

Natsumi's heart skipped a beat. This was a dream. It had to be. Giroro flew into a sun, right? But there he was, in the flesh, standing right before her. Slowly, painfully, Natsumi crawled toward him on her hands and knees. With a trembling hand, the girl placed her hand on his shoulder. She felt his skin; definitely corporeal. A pleasant warmth engulfed her heart. There would be time for explanations later.

"Giroro, when you were gone, I felt…incomplete. Now that you're back, I feel that I can go on. I love you, Giroro."

"When I was thrown out into space, only the thought of you kept me alive. I love you, Natsumi."

They embraced and the basement erupted in cheers. Embarrassed, the two quickly stopped hugging and looked away from each other, blushing intensely. "There will be time later," muttered Natsumi out of the corner of her mouth. Giroro nodded in agreement.

Giroro walked over to the table and glanced down at the sheet of paper Natsumi had been writing on. "According to this, both Kururu and Keroro are missing. This means that I'm the leader now. We have to finish what Keroro started."

"What Keroro starts, Keroro finishes!" the voice came from somewhere underground. It sounded muffled and far away. Everyone looked around in a panic. A beat passed, then, the ground slightly farther north in the basement began to swell. A huge drill smashed through piles of canned goods as it burst from the earth. The body of a massive industrial machine followed. As the engine sputtered to a stop, the door opened.

"Even if Keroro were dead, I would be the captain, not you." It was Kururu, flanked by Aki, carrying a heavily bandaged Keroro. "We found him barely alive inside the ruins of an exploded house. Was it mutiny? Ku ku ku…"

Natsumi noticed that Kururu had a few long scratches on his face, but decided to keep quiet as it was probably a touchy subject. Instead, she turned back to the matter at hand. "Somehow, someway, though we were all split up and left for dead, we're back together here in this basement. I don't know how we did it, but we gotta stick together from here on out!"

Giroro nodded in agreement. Even if she hadn't said it, there was no way the Corporal would leave Natsumi unguarded again. The rest of the platoon readily agreed. They were all definitely stronger as a unit.

A moment of silence passed as everyone realized exactly how big of a foe they were up against. A voice broke the grim still: "Um…who exactly is in charge of the invasion?" It was Momoka, and she was very confused, "Aside from the lack of people, this place doesn't seem like the site of a war or anything."

"That's because no war took place here," muttered Giroro, sitting down on the ground, "His name is Kamimi. I'm not sure exactly what's going on, but from the best of my knowledge, after the apocalypse machine thing-"

"AVCW, Apocalypse Vortex Climactic Weapon!" chimed in Kururu from the side.

"Ahem…after the AVCW failed to destroy Pekopon, our mysterious enemy tribe decided that direct invasion of Keron would be too difficult seeing they failed to destroy a world with far less advanced technology, no offense. Instead, they started what is known as a Pacifist Armageddon."

"I've been hearing about a Pacifist Armageddon a lot lately," commented Koyuki from the side, "But I still don't know what that means." Blushing, the ninja girl put her hands in her lap and looked down.

"Understandable," continued Giroro, "It's not a term that you'll come across in a Pekoponian history book, because such a thing has never happened on Pekopon yet. A Pacifist Armageddon is the destruction of an entire race. In the most basic and crude forms, Armageddon could involve a nuclear attack or some kind of destructive laser, or ground forces pillaging and burning the entire planet. On Pekopon, I believe that Armageddon means some kind of final battle between good and evil's respective deities?"

Fuyuki nodded, "Not exactly, but something like that, yes."

"Well out here, Armageddon can be used to describe any war that results in the complete and utter destruction of one side. The "pacifist" part in Pacifist Armageddon comes from the method of attack, and this is also where Kamimi comes in. Our enemies found Kamimi, probably a weakling with serious power-lust, and gave him some special abilities. Now this is where my info gets kinda foggy. I don't know exactly what they did to him, but over a few months, through favorable public image and a bit of good-ol assassination of the higher ups, Kamimi wormed his way up to the rank of Emperor. Once there, though, he began mercilessly killing any and all dissenters. In distress, Kamimi's advisor sent out the distress message we got, before being killed himself."

"Whoa!" cried Tamama, eyes sparkling, "When did you find this all out?"

"When I was in prison before my 'trial', I talked to the others in my cell."

"Then the path we take is clear then!" cried Tamama.

Everyone gave him a confused look. "Um…Tama-chan, we haven't even come up with a plan yet," said Aki, voicing the confusion of the rest.

"Here's the plan," began Tamama, holding a flashlight underneath his face for dramatic effect, "We exit this place in the dead of night. Using Dororo's assassin magic, we infiltrate the Grand Capitol."

The rest of the group leaned in closer.

"I'm sure the place will be crawling with guards, so we need to be extra quiet as we make it past the gates, and then…"

"And then?" asked Giroro.

"And then, WE SLAUGHTER THE LOT OF THEM AND KICK KAMIMI'S ROYAL ASS!"

Everyone fell over in surprise and Kururu face-palmed. "I can't believe I didn't think of a plan that brilliant!"

"Hm…" started Dororo, "That plan sounds good (especially since I get a large role in it) up to the part where we slaughter all the guards. They have been brainwashed by the promises of their twisted leader. It wouldn't be fair to kill them, when our only real target is Kamimi.

"Right. Though we'll all be generally in the same place, breaking into teams is the best option." It was Keroro, standing on the table. "The teams this time will be simple. Natsumi and Giroro, it's likely that once we assassinate Kamimi, the entire planet will be against us. You need to secure us a safe passage out. Whether that means finding some kind of vehicle or teleportation, I don't know. Fuyuki and Momoka, climb to the summit of the Grand Capitol once inside and disable the weapons system on top. Escaping will be plenty easier with it out of the way. Tamama, Kururu, Aki, you're with me. We will sneak down into the basement and disable the Grand Capitol's generator. Without light, Dororo and Koyuki's assassination should be even easier. Any questions?

"Yeah…" spoke up Fuyuki, "Did you purposely set up these teams to revolve around our character pairings?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Fuyuki. Alright men and women, move out!"


	12. Ascension in Every Form

I noticed quite a few comments about my last joke involving the character pairings. I had no idea that was so funny ^_^ Once again, thanks you for reading, and keep leaving comments. I'll consider any suggestions you have!

BTW: My main focus is finishing Part 2 of Apocalypse Now, so Love Unceasing will be pushed back a little. Don't worry, plenty of MomoxFuyu here!

**Chapter 12: Ascension in Every Form**

** 5:30: Entire Human/Keronian Platoon**

Keroro snickered quietly to himself as the team inched its way toward the Grand Capitol. Since one wrong move could alert the Capitol's turret to their presence, the utmost caution was taken to avoid the main road. The cause of his good humor was fairly evident in the blushing faces of his human/keronian platoon: of course he had split them up by relationship. They would work better if they were with someone they liked, and the potential fun was limitless.

After what felt like an eternity of creeping under bushes and hiding in trash cans, the platoon finally reached the towering walls of the Grand Capitol. Several spotlights with motion sensors swept the ground around them, but thanks to Dororo's assassin magic, he easily found the security system's blind spot.

"Gather around, everyone," Dororo whispered, motioning for everyone to come with his arms, "I'm going to use my teleportation skill to get us all inside the wall."

"Wait a minute," said Natsumi, her voice so quiet, it got lost in the wind, "If you can teleport, why do Giroro and I have to find transportation to get us out of here?"

"It only works short distance which is why its main purpose is to get inside locked rooms or past walls. Of course, there are many other-"

"We don't have time for this!" hissed Tamama, eyes glowing, "I don't like it out here! It's dark and cold! Hurry up!"

"Right, sorry. Assassin Magic! Teleportation!"

**5:45 – Momoka and Fuyuki – Mission: Infiltrate the Grand Capitol and travel to its summit to deactivate the main turret system.**

After a short rest allowing the platoon members to catch their bearings, they split into their teams and after wishing each other the best of luck, went on their separate missions. Momoka and Fuyuki crept carefully against the wall, breathing heavily.

"I never want to do that teleportation thing again," moaned Momoka, "It just feels wrong."

"I guess Dororo is used to it, though I don't think you're alone; the Sarge looked especially green. I didn't mind it too much. I think that the stance in which you teleport makes all the difference."

"How so, Fuyuki-kun?"

"You can just call me Fuyuki, 'k?"

"O-ok…"

"Yeah, so I read up in this article about the different types of alien transport. Having actually felt teleportation even on a small scale will be a big benefit to the occult club by the way, so please try and remember the sensation! Anyway, about the stance-"

"Um…F-fuyuki, can this wait? I think I see guards!"

Fuyuki peered around the corner, and to his horror, he saw two keronians marching toward him. He didn't know if they had heard his voice or not, but it wasn't good. Both of them looked similar, stocky build with lewd tattoos covering their muscular arms. The one on the left was smoking something that resembled a cigarette, but gave off a far worse stench, emitting clouds of green smoke. What worried Fuyuki the most, however, were the large guns they both carried. The weapons looked more like a backpack with a barrel than an actual gun, easily three times the size of Giroro's signature assault rifle.

Silently cursing in his head, Fuyuki pulled Momoka back and turned to run into a door a little way down the wall, but something stopped him. He saw the ground rush up to meet him, then blackness.

Fuyuki regained consciousness in the dark. He expected to feel pain, but a pleasant numbness was all that he could register. A face swam into view. It was Momoka, a terrified look plastered on her face. As soon as she saw his eyes opening however, her despairing visage broke into a smile of relief.

"Jeez…don't scare me like that again."

Fuyuki managed a small grin before returning to the matter at hand. "What happened back there, and where are we?"

"You collapsed and hit your head. I guess the painkillers wore off and your legs gave out. Luckily, your mom had the foresight to expect something like that and gave me extra painkillers to take with me before we broke into teams. She really is something…"

Fuyuki sent out a silent prayer of thanks to his mother for the quick thinking, and tested out his body by propping himself up with one hand. "How long have I been out?"

"Only about…um…maybe five minutes?"

"Damn. That's time we don't have. C'mon, let's go already."

"NO!"

Fuyuki froze, a horrified expression on his face. Momoka realized what she had done at the same time and put her left hand over her mouth. A moment passed in silence.

Only when it became clear that no guards had been alerted did Fuyuki allow himself to breathe again. "Please keep it down, Momoka. If we're caught, it's all over. Why did you even stop me anyway? I'm on painkillers, right?"

"Right…but…"

"No buts. Look, you have a broken arm and it's not stopping you. My legs shouldn't be the thing slowing us down. Let's go."

Such a forceful statement caught Momoka off guard long enough for Fuyuki to heave himself up. Immediately, a wave of nausea hit him and he leaned against a wall. Once the vertigo passed, he walked calmly to the door, trying to hide the pinprick feelings of pain in his legs that got through the anesthetics. Keroro had asked him to do a job, and he was going to do it. If the main turret isn't deactivated, escape would be near impossible. Disabling the Capitol's main defense system would severely increase the chance of survival, and Fuyuki knew it.

"Failure is not an option, Momoka."

"No…" muttered Momoka, weakly, "Don't go back out there…"

Fuyuki sighed and walked back toward his girlfriend, "Give me one good reason not to."

Momoka blushed and looked downward for a second. Then, hardening her gaze, she looked straight into Fuyuki's eyes. Fuyuki almost stepped back, but managed to hold his ground.

"Fuyuki, I love you. I don't…I don't want anything to happen to you again. If you knew…If you knew what I went through when I thought you had died saving me, then you would understand why you have to let me do this mission alone!"

The boy actually did step back this time, utterly floored. A single tear rolled down the girl's cheek and disappeared into the darkness. A few guards passed outside the door, and Fuyuki was amazed at the fact that other creatures existed in his universe. Well, any other creatures besides him and Momoka. A strange feeling began building up inside him. A feeling as strong as the mightiest warrior, but nameless and non-corporeal.

Was it pride? No, nothing so…mundane. Love maybe, but not quite that either. It was a mixture of many things as it turned out, but ultimately, it made him feel powerful and gave him purpose. He stopped fighting the unnatural feelings and let it burst to the surface, causing a gentle yet hardened smile to grace his lips.

Gently, he pushed Momoka against the wall and let his face wander dangerously close to hers. "When I pushed you out of the way of that shell, I did it for you, Momoka, and I'd do it again without hesitation."

"Eh?" Momoka began blushing furiously as she realized how close their bodies were.

"I know you're worried about me, but I'm equally concerned about you. The Sergeant got it exactly right, we're a team, you and me, and I'll be damned if I just stay in this room while you go out and brave the horrors alone."

The speech was gentle but carried such an enormous weight, that Momoka couldn't help but submit to it.

A silent agreement was made.

Carefully, the two stepped out from the closet they were hiding in. A clock neatly positioned a few feet above their heads read exactly 6:00. Fuyuki wasn't liking what he was seeing: 15 minutes into the mission and they hadn't even made it into the building itself. He doubted any of the other teams were having that much trouble.

Thankfully, they made swift progress along the walls, encountering only small alien insects along the way. While it put Momoka's mind at ease, it served to make Fuyuki even more nervous.

_This is too easy. There has to be something I'm missing here._

However, despite his ceaseless worries, the infiltration was a success, Momoka quietly breaking the lock on a side door. It swung open with a slight creak. A moment of silence passed, then nothing. Giving Momoka a nod, he stepped carefully inside. Though he was used to living with the alien frogs, he had no idea what kind of security technology shielded the Keronian Government building.

"Um…Fuyuki?"

"Ssh! Quieter. What is it?"

Momoka struggled to lower the volume as she asked, "This is where the leader of Keron lives and works right?"

"According to the Sarge, yeah."

"So aren't we kinda like breaking into the alien White House or alien National Diet Building, right?"

Fuyuki sighed as a knot involuntarily and uncontrollably tightened in his stomach. "That didn't help at all with my nerves. Thanks."

The boy turned abruptly around and continued creeping down the mysteriously unguarded hallway while Momoka, face beet red from embarrassment, muttered a few apologies.

Just as the turret deactivation team was about to turn the corner, a low buzzing, nearly indistinguishable from the white noise, caught Fuyuki's attention. Motioning for Momoka to stop, he slowly crept up and looked around the corner. Where the hallway should have been, there was only a lumpy green surface.

A second past before Fuyuki realized what had just happened. A guard was standing dead still, just hidden around the corner, staring at the humans with a triumphant smile on his face.

"Well well. Look what we have here." His mouth opened in what would have been a jeering laugh, but Momoka closed it swiftly with a sharp uppercut. Grabbing Fuyuki's hand, they sprinted toward a small closet and jumped inside just as two more guards came sprinting around the corner.

Listening intently, Fuyuki managed to catch a few snippets of conversation from their hiding place.

"What the hell! New recruit Meroro is out cold! We need a medical unit now!"

"Someone review the footage from the cameras!"

Fuyuki swore silently. There were cameras of course, probably hidden in the walls. Why had he been thinking they would be conveniently visible like in a drug store?

The echoing tramping of boots on tile rang loud inside the small closet, and Momoka shivered. A thin layer of dust rose from the back wall and wafted toward Fuyuki, a silent killer. His nose wrinkled while his heart froze. Was this…

Momoka immediately noticed the shift in Fuyuki's pose and a quick look at his face told the rest of the story. He took in big gulps of air and rubbed his nose, but to no avail. It was coming out one way or the other.

_If I sneeze, it's all over! But I can't help it! Momoka! HELP ME!_

Momoka felt Fuyuki's mental cry, but there was nothing she could do. How do you stop a sneeze? The boy's mouth opened wide. Suddenly, the course of action was obvious. A millisecond was all she needed.

Gripping Fuyuki's face, she turned and locked lips with her love, stifling the expulsion of air in a passionate kiss. He leaned back in total awe. _My girlfriend is…something else entirely!_

Their bliss was rudely interrupted.

"Sir! We have the video feed from where Meroro was knocked unconscious!"

"Looks like two creatures…I think Pekoponian, ran into that closet after punching out our new recruit!"

Fuyuki knew he had to move, but his legs refused direct orders. He had always prided himself on his quick and calm thinking, but now that he himself was officially in danger, all rational thought slipped his mind. It was Momoka who came to the rescue once again. Just as the guards closed their hands over the closet door, the girl kicked it down, sending the startled keronians flying toward the walls. The first hit the wall straight on, and he slid unconscious to the ground. The second was not so lucky. Screaming, he slammed into the wall at an angle and careened toward the floor. Momoka winced as his body slid to a stop on the ground leaving a dark blood smear.

There wasn't a moment of quiet before the slamming of boots could be heard once again, and they were coming quick. Grabbing a horrified Momoka by the arm, Fuyuki half dragged her toward the emergency staircase.

"D-did I kill him?" she asked in a timid voice as her feet gradually began to move again.

"No, he's probably unconscious," Fuyuki answered, though he hadn't the faintest idea, "But don't worry about that now. Looks like those other frogs back there are the medical team, not more soldiers. That gives us time to climb to the top."

The emergency staircase was another one of Fuyuki's brilliant ideas. Since Keronian technology had advanced as far as teleportation, the stairwells would be empty as they probably were only used as a safety precaution. Fuyuki motioned for Momoka to slow down. "There won't be anybody using the stairs. We're safe for now."

The real reason he had stopped was so he could catch his breath. He had never been a fast runner, always near the back during the sports festivals at school. The endless spiraling staircase made him dizzy with dread.

"This would be a good time to access our situations and plan, right?"

Momoka nodded, "I guess our mission hasn't been going very smoothly!"

The two laughed, not because what she had said was funny, but because of the whole absurdity of the situation. Somehow, two kids had managed to break into the alien capitol building. Suddenly, the door to the stairwell burst open and the angry face of a guard poked in. He saw nothing, because seconds before, Fuyuki had roughly shoved himself and Momoka into a shadowed corner. A beat passed in silence, then with a grunt, the guard closed the door and the sound of his shoes on the ground became quieter and quieter. When at last Fuyuki couldn't hear it anymore, he moved back, allowing Momoka to slide to the floor. She was clutching her arm in pain.

"Ah…that hurt…" Momoka fought back tears as she cradled the sling that housed her broken arm. When Fuyuki had pulled her into the corner, he had inadvertently pushed hard against her cast in an effort to hide the both of them.

"I'm sorry, Momoka, but I had to do it."

"I know. I forgive you!" she gave him a wink and a cute smile, "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. C'mon, rest time is over." She struggled to get up, but Fuyuki gently held her down. Reaching into her backpack, he brought out a shot of painkiller. Slowly, he uncapped it and positioned it near her shoulder.

"Hey wait! Fuyuki, that's for you, and it's the last one too."

"No no, don't worry about me. I'm fine, the last shot you gave me hasn't worn off yet. I'll make it," and Fuyuki pressed down, sending relief coursing through Momoka's veins. Sighing, she relaxed, allowing her shoulders to droop. Leaning against the wall, she closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of painlessness.

She felt a slight pressure on her arm. Opening her eyes, she saw to her shock, Fuyuki kissing her on the cast. Blushing, she tried to move away, but she was backed into the corner.

Seeing his girlfriend turn red, Fuyuki moved up the shoulders, then the neck.

"F-f-fuyuki! Stop! W-we have to keep moving!" What had happened to him? He was like a whole other being.

"I'm sorry. I just want to…thank you for your quick thinking in the closet. I would have blown our cover." Just as he was about to kiss her on the lips, the lights went out. Fuyuki froze, once again ripped forcefully and unwillingly away from passion and thrown roughly back into reality. After a few moments, the lights turned back on, though they were dim and flickered.

"Looks like Keroro completed his mission," murmured Momoka, "The basement generator went down just now, right?"

"Yeah. Though there obviously is a backup generator somewhere, it doesn't seem nearly as strong as the main one!"

"So…how exactly does that help?"

"Well," started Fuyuki, "From what the Sarge told me earlier, the main generator is what powers the teleportation devices within the Grand Capitol. Without them, the guards will be restricted to traveling by stairs."

A second past in silence.

"Ah dammit, WE'RE DEAD NOW!" cried Fuyuki as the door banged open and over twenty guards filed in.

"There's the intruders! GRAB THEM!"

Fuyuki and Momoka had never run so fast in their lives. Despite the growing stabbing sensation in the boy's legs as the painkillers wore off, despite the lack of balance that comes from having one arm in a stiff cast, despite the stress and pressure, the two moved on, supported only by each other. Flight after flight, though no matter how fast they went, it seemed like the guards were never far behind.

It was only seconds, though for Momoka, it felt like an eternity. Running up continuous stairs was hard enough, but the fact that she kept swaying to one side due to her shifted center of gravity made it hell. Fuyuki continuously had to pull her to one side to avoid her falling down, and it slowed progress immensely.

A door swam into view, reading "ATTIC", but in Fuyuki's mind, it was the pearly gates of heaven. That meant that only one more flight and they would be at the roof. Despite his screaming legs, he turned and sprinted toward the last flight, full of renewed energy.

He stopped dead. There was no final flight. Just a door several meters up and the blackness where a staircase had broken off. Desperately, Fuyuki looked around for something to bridge the gap with, but there was nothing in the barren stairwell. As the sound of feet and triumphant chuckles grew louder in his ears, Fuyuki collapsed to the ground, facing the wall.

Momoka watched as the guards ran up the final set of stairs while even more poured out of the attic room. She couldn't contain herself any longer. These bastards who thought they could hurt her Fuyuki and live to tell the tail were fools. They were idiots and cowards: mere mortals who pointlessly schemed and plotted against the gods. A warmth filled Momoka's gut and the fear melted away to be replaced by thoughtless adrenaline. Her hands closed into fists as bloodlust filled her mind. The light wisps of blue hair hardened into points, and her eyes narrowed.

**"IF THIS IS HOW YOU WANT IT, THEN FINE!"**

Fuyuki whipped around in surprise. Dark Momoka was in full flight, tearing through the guards like a machine gun through butter. Some guards landed on the ground, clutching their faces as blood spurted to the surface. The more unlucky ones were flipped over the railing to experience a fatal drop over ten stories. If the gunfire and bullet wounds had any effect on Dark Momoka, she didn't show it, reveling in the agony of her opponents.

A shot ripped through the air, louder than any thus far, and causing Dark Momoka to fall back, blood dripping from a deep wound in her shoulder. The large Keronian known as Meroro was conscious again and holding a large shotgun.

Dark Momoka quickly accessed her options. She could fight and probably win, but it Meroro looked angry beyond reason, and the shotgun, with its spread fire, would have a high chance of accidentally hitting Fuyuki. Grimacing in the displeasure of retreat, she grabbed a startled Fuyuki by the shirt and jumped several meters up to the roof door. The other guards and a screaming Meroro fired hopelessly, but the two were already gone.

Fuyuki stumbled through the door, barely supporting Momoka who had reverted to normal and passed out. The roof was cool, as the first rays of sunlight lanced through the black. It would have been a picturesque scene except for the hundreds of guards stationed on the roof.

Laying Momoka gently on the ground, Fuyuki collapsed once again to his knees. "I've had enough…" he muttered to the ground. The turret was so close, but with all those guards, he'd never be able to make it. The roof itself was a complete mess, with metal parts scattered all over. If it weren't for the breeze and the gentle glow of sunrise, Fuyuki would have sworn he was in a mad scientist laboratory. As the guards surrounded him, the boy knew he had only one hope.

Ever so slowly, he inched his hand toward a long metal conduit lying on the ground. His aim would have to be perfect, something he was definitely not known for. However, he had no choice. Backup was not coming, Momoka was unconscious and badly hurt, and he was outnumbered and outgunned by the hundreds.

He threw the conduit just as a piercing electric shock hit him in the back. As Fuyuki slumped over, he saw to his fading delight, his javelin of sorts striking it's mark. The turret technician slumped over the control board causing the mechanism to fire all the barrels repeatedly. The noise must have been deafening as the guards all clamped their hands over their ears, but to Fuyuki's fading mind, it sounded like a freight train passing a mile away. It wasn't long before the turret started to glow red, and in the panic, nobody thought to pull the emergency stop button.

The heat was intense, as it blasted Fuyuki's face. The metal warped and the next shell got stuck, yet the firing mechanism went on. The turret exploded in a violent shower of molten metal. As Fuyuki had predicted, the shockwave hurtled Momoka's unconscious form farther down the roof and out of harms way. Rolling to increase speed Fuyuki grabbed onto Momoka's body and tilted sideways, sliding behind the entrance to another stairwell.

The swift move was none too early, as a large chunk of metal sliced through the wall where Momoka had been resting seconds previous. As the frenzied explosions and shouts of wounded keronians grew quieter and the world grew dimmer, Fuyuki Hinata could not help but crack a small smile.

"We did it Momoka, mission complete."


	13. Captured

I'm back from my trip, so updates once more. I got a comment asking for a story about Fuyuki and Momoka in Atlantis and the return of that mermaid girl. I think that is a good idea, and truth be told, I've always been disappointed that the mermaid never had a larger role in the show (which is basically nothing). I might do some work on it, but don't hold your breath.

Speaking of work, I'm currently working on a secret project with the aid of another someone on fanfiction! I don't know when that will be out either…sorry people…

**Chapter 13: Captured**

**5:45 – Keroro, Tamama, Kururu, Aki – Mission: Disable the Grand Capitol's Main Generator**

"Ahhhhh! Ef my life!"

"Shut the hell up, sir! You're gonna get us killed!" Tamama smacked Kururu hard on the head. A bit too hard as blood started to pour out of his nose.

"This is soooooo lame!" moaned Kururu as Aki desperately tried to stem the flow, "Why do I have to walk? Who's got the intel control, huh? Who's gonna manage the data?"

"Watch your tone with me, Sergeant Major," growled Keroro, "Or else I'm going to send you right back to base."

"Oh please, do that leader sir, please. Punish me all you want," moaned Kururu in the most irritating voice he could muster. It was still incredibly creepy.

Keroro quickly took a step back, "No wonder we've never used you as a foot soldier before. You are one creepy son of a bitch!"

"OK! Enough! No more arguing and certainly no more naughty words. We need to keep the ratings at T." Aki placed her hands on her hips, an intimidating figure, towering high over the diminutive frogs. "Anyway, aren't we on a mission?" her eyes started to sparkle with excitement, "Where are our cool alien spy gadgets and stuff?"

"You already got it," said Keroro, nodding with pride, "The thing in your ear you callously referred to as a 'Bluetooth' device is actually a cutting edge medium range communicator. When you switch it on, you can speak as loud as you want but the sound from your mouth will only be transferred to any other devices you synched up with."

"So are you saying that if I yelled at that guard over there with that huge gun, he wouldn't hear me at all?" Aki swelled with excitement, "This could be useful as a gadget in a manga for sure!"

"Ku ku ku…the idea was invented by people who wanted to talk loudly in the libraries, and was popularized and mainstreamed by kids who always got caught talking after lights out. This special military brand is much more reliable than anything you can find in stores. I should know 'cause I built these particular models myself."

"Took you a long time too," grumbled Keroro, "Wouldn't think it'd be that hard."

"Hey! You try building a personal anti-sound field. It's not as easy as you might think."

"Weren't you the one that created the personal apocalypse-survivor shield?"

"Surviving the impact of a WMD detonation and not having your parents catch you talking are two VERY different things I'll have you know."

Keroro and Kururu bickered back and forth as the team continued to edge along the side of the Grand Capitol.

_I hope those painkillers I gave Momoka are enough…_

Aki's maternal instincts gnawed at the side of her brain, but she knew now was not the time. If anything, she was positive Momoka would protect her son. Natsumi was with Giroro and they were an unstoppable duo, more pity should be cast on the foolish souls who would dare challenge them together. Aki spared a small smile but the seriousness of the situation pressed against her ears, giving her a slight headache.

"…And furthermore, you can kiss that extra funding goodbye for that crazy invisible bathtub project. I don't see how that could possibly held the invasion."

"If you weren't so shallow minded, you could easily see that Pekoponians faced with not knowing where to shower would-"

Tamama tapped Keroro on the shoulder. "Sir?"

"Not now, Private, I'm having a very important discussion with a certain inferior."

"My rank is higher than yours. It was just luck that you got the posit-"

Aki stopped them with an authoritative hand gesture. Kururu followed with his own not-so-authoritative hand gesture and kept walking.

Turning to Keroro, Aki asked, "You know how nobody else can hear us? Can anyone see us?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Kururu noticed his fellows ducking into a small door. From his mental map (another one of his inventions) he realized it was the boiler room, a great hiding place. The boiler room was essential, but no Keronian ever went in there without a protest as the heat was terrible for their moist skin. Why Keroro and Tamama had gone in there so quickly was beyond him, but he had stopped questioning the captain's flawed logic years ago.

Kururu received a sharp blow to the head and tumbled to the ground. A large shape descended in front of him and landed with a sinister hiss. Through Kururu's faltering consciousness, he identified a guard sporting a stealth jetpack. Keroro must have seen him on his pulse monitor before rounding the corner. Kururu gritted his teeth. What kind of captain didn't inform his own soldiers of an impending ambush? Feeling the side of his face for the communication device, his heart grew cold. It had fallen off somewhere.

The device was tiny and caused no discomfort. Though Kururu had constructed the actual circuitry flawlessly, the outer coating as well as the adhesive that kept it in the subject's ear was all store bought.

_This isn't going to be good for me...ku ku ku…_

The Sergeant Major felt his body being roughly dragged along the ground. He swayed to one side in a last ditch feeble attempt to escape but his head hit a rock.

"Sergeant Major! Quick! Get in here before he sees you!" Keroro yelled loudly into his communicator, but it did no good. He watched, powerless, as the soldier spied the yellow Keronian and moved in for the kill. Aki tried to make a move for the door, but Tamama stopped her.

"Look, you're stronger than most Pekoponians, but the weapons on Keron are way stronger than on your planet. We'll get him back, but not now." Aki paused, considering muscling her way to the door, but common sense took over and she sat down dejectedly. Once Kururu had been dragged out of sight, Keroro tore his vision away from the slats in the door and faced his remaining soldiers.

"Alright. Our plan from here on out should be obvious."

Tamama raised his hand enthusiastically, "Yeah! We save our R&D guy!"

"Wrong, private, we proceed as planned to shut down the generator."

Both Tamama and Aki were stunned speechless. While Keroro had never been the most loyal captain, he always made sure that his men were all present and safe at the end of a mission.

"B-but unless in the most desperate of situations, no frog left behind, right? Isn't that what we were trained to follow in military school?"

"You can't just leave him in the clutches of the enemy, they'll probably torture him!"

Keroro turned away and faced the wall, hands akimbo. Sighing, he shifted his weight back and forth in discomfort. "Um…Tamama, Aki, you're both right, but this IS a desperate situation and Kururu probably WILL be tortured. That is exactly why we can't waste time saving him right now. Kururu is…Kururu belongs in a lab where it's safe. He was trained as a soldier, but when it comes to…erm…interrogation resistance, he fails miserably."

"WHAT? Are you trying to say that Kururu will betray us?" Tamama staggered backward in shock, "What a TERRIBLE excuse not to go rescue someone!"

"Listen!" tried Keroro once again, a note of pleading now in his voice, "When he has been interrogated by Natsumi before regarding our invasion plans, he always broken in the end. Keronian interrogation especially in the Grand Capitol will be many magnitudes worse! I don't know when he'll break, but it won't be long!"

"So what if he tells them what we're trying to do? If we get rid of Kamimi and escape, who cares?" Aki pushed her face close to Keroro's, "We can rescue Kururu and complete the mission. I know we can do it."

"That's not all, though!" cried Keroro. He looked around to room expecting to see guards burst in any minute. Time was ticking fast now that they had been discovered. It was a wonder why the alarm hadn't sounded and put the entire building on high alert. Clenching his teeth, he realized that he had to end the discussion now, before it was too late. "Kururu knows everything about this mission. He knows the entire ARMPIT platoon is present, and he also knows that you Pekoponians are working with us. No matter how Kururu says it, our mission is going to look like joint terrorism. The death penalty for us, but for you Pekoponians, this will mean war, you know, with huge armies that actually know how to invade. Pekopon will crumble, and I can't have that. We need to finish our missions now to restore Keron to capable hands. We've wasted enough time. Are you with me?"

Suddenly, there was a loud pounding on the door. Everyone froze in horror, praying that the guards wouldn't look in between the slats in the door. The pounding continued for a good ten seconds before a voice called out, "You idiot! The two Pekoponian brats ran in the other direction. They should be inside, not out here!" The knocking stopped and the soft crunching noise of heavy boots on grass steadily grew quieter and quieter. Only after no sound could be heard save the wind, did any one of the trio allow themselves to breathe.

"Two Pekoponian brats…that could only mean…" Aki's heart started pumping hard. It must have been Momoka and Fuyuki. They had been found out. The two Keronians had apparently come to similar conclusions as they quickly Aki and nodded.

"I don't like it," Aki carefully began, "But it seems like we don't really have a choice right now. We finish our mission quickly, then go back for Kururu." Truthfully however, all thoughts of the Sergeant Major had left her mind to be replaced with worry for Fuyuki. With Momoka, he should be safe, but what if…

Keroro smiled with relief. As long as everyone was on the same page, the mission couldn't help but be a success. He turned toward the back door and took a step. Aki barely caught him as he tumbled to the floor.

"Sir!" cried Tamama, rushing forward, but his legs gave out as well, sending him sprawling on the dusty ground.

"Why has my strength failed me?" Keroro weakly wondered aloud as he clawed the wall in an attempt to regain a standing posture. "We were fine until we came in here."

Suddenly Aki realized what was going on. "Kero-chan! You're drying up! This is the boiler room!"

The Keronians spent no time getting out, aided by Aki who supported them both with one hand. "We…we need to find water!" croaked Tamama, his large round eyes slowly closing, "Or we might not make it much farther."

Thankfully, there was a large fountain with ice cold water right outside the door. Naturally, since Keronians had to go into the boiler room once in awhile to fix its workings, a fountain to rehydrate the skin wouldn't be far. As the two soldiers bathed a splashed each other with water, full of renewed vigor and happiness, Aki nervously checked her watch. As the time ticked by, the danger level grew high and the stakes, higher.


	14. Descent

Sorry about painfully slow updates. School has been…well… I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about. But enough about me. Time for more Apocalypse madness!

**Chapter 14: Descent**

The Grand Capitol was a true marvel to behold. The shining walls personified "ridiculously wealthy", but it was a certain kind of regal brilliance that inspires more reverence than envy. Just a quick cruise around the outer courtyard would be enough to convince even the most biased party that Keronians far outmatched the humans, though the real riches lay mostly inside.

Since Kamimi had taken the throne as Keron's first emperor in living memory, the Grand Capitol's private chambers had been refurbished in a breathtaking manner, complete with golden chandeliers and holographic everything. It was every young Keronian's dream to stay just one night in such a room.

The wiser denizens of Keron shared a much different view. The subtle nuances and basic rules of Keronian politics alike would baffle the average alien, but it wouldn't take a scholar to see that having an emperor was no small change to the legislative process.

As even the most ignorant Keronian can tell you, all politics are handled by a parliamentary system, with majority vote by regional representatives deciding even the smallest of changes to the Keron law books. As this way of government is based heavily on democracy, it comes as no surprise that the representatives are also chosen by vote.

The Mediator of the Law is a position coveted by most Keronian politicians as it's generally a cushy job but gets the most respect. To become the mediator, a Keronian already on the parliament must be voted in by one of his peers. However, it's not as easy as that, as he must first be nominated. This nomination process involves the votes from all over the entire planet making it one of the biggest elections in the universe.

It's the mediator's job to make sure everything goes smoothly during a meeting at the Grand Capitol. To avoid unnecessary argument and envy among the different members, the Capitol was built to be as luxurious as possible if only to calm the nerves. Very few people ever saw the basements in the Grand Capitol. What reason would anyone have to ever go there anyway?

"You know, I have no idea," Keroro sighed as the three rebels trudged along the passage that led to the generator room. There was no use in hurrying, as any splashing noise in the ankle deep water would alert the guards. Luckily, talking was not a problem.

"Go on, Tamama, what's up with Kamimi becoming emperor?" Aki was very impressed at the Private's knowledge of Keronian government. As it was he who had been giving the lecture you can read above.

"I'm not exactly sure what's going on with Kamimi as we haven't been able to talk to anyone who isn't stark raving mad, but seeing that there is no damage to Keron, I'd say Kamimi is merely a very influential politician who climbed up the ranks and seized hold before anyone knew what was going on."

Keroro scratched his chin carefully, "However, the question still lingers: who sent out the distress message to Pekopon. This is no 'invasion' that the ARMPIT Platoon is trained in."

"Well, I was forced to learn all that government stuff in school, so I at least have a clue what's going on, but I'm no pro, I gotta admit."

"I knew that already."

Tamama pouted and turned away. He loved the Sergeant, but sometimes he could be so hurtful. Suddenly, Aki held up her hand to order halt. They had reached the end of the dingy corridor and now faced a ladder that went down into the pitch darkness.

"I thought we would be going in the upwards direction around now," whined Tamama, unwilling to progress farther into the darkness without a good reason.

"Yeah, I figured the ladder here would be going in the opposite direction," mused Keroro, slapping his face a few times to refocus.

Aki quickly used Kururu's technology to bring up the mental map of the Grand Capitol's underground. "It looks like the ladder goes down for about half a mile!"

"WHAT?" cried Keroro and Tamama in sync, "WHAT IS THE GOVERNMENT HIDING DOWN THERE?"

Aki frowned and squinted, bringing the mental map into clearer focus. After a few minutes of silence, she tapped her earpiece and the map faded from her consciousness. "Whatever they're keeping down there, it certainly isn't anything like a bomb bunker or a starship. It's a pretty small room and on the other side, is the ladder the leads straight up to the generator room."

Keroro began shaking with rage, "Are you telling me, that the generator room is just beyond this wall, but we have to climb through a mile of ladders to get there? "

"I don't think we have a choice. Let's do this quickly!" Tamama scampered towards the hole and, after one more moment of trepidation, shook his head and began climbing down. Aki sighed and followed reluctantly; the job was a lot less glamorous than she had hoped.

As they descended in silence, the air began to get more and more damp, and chill breezes made them all shiver, though the outside air was far away in every direction.

"I don't think the guards have any kind of sensors down here, especially in the ladder shaft," Tamama commented after about five minutes had passed.

"No, I think there are plenty of traps," Keroro responded curtly, and began urging Tamama to go faster.

"Why?"

"Well, if this were meant to be a place for normal guards to go, they would have a teleportation device, not ladders. I'm pretty sure this whole ladder circuit is a way to slow down intruders like us."

Aki was a little annoyed at this, and asked in a snappish voice, "If you knew this was a trap, why are we playing into it?"

"Simply because we have no choice."

Aki suddenly began to feel a twinge of fear, something that never troubled her back on Earth. She felt as if she had been thrust into a completely different world in which all its denizens were out to kill her. It took her another minute after that to realize that's exactly the situation she was in.

"Traps or not, I'm turning on my flashlight." Aki obstinately removed a small pocket light from her pocket and switched it on.

"I'm pretty sure the focus of their traps will be based around sound anyway. We should be safe."

Of course, all three of them slept in completely dark rooms normally and were used to it. However, something about seeing the illumination from her pen light instantly raised the moods of everyone. The walls around the ladder were tight and metal. Despite how moist the air was down where they were, the walls were apparently well maintained and had the sparkling sheen of new, unmarred metal.

Aki's light faltered for a second, like a blink in the blinding sun. Suddenly, the walls were corroded and terrible. Streaks of rust spider webbed in all directions and the air became heavy with condensation.

"W-what just happened?" Tamama whispered, "What's with the walls?"

Before Keroro could answer, Aki's flashlight flickered again, plunging the trio into the darkest hell for a moment before ripping them back out. Now, the walls were gone. They were climbing in what appeared to be a huge room. The damp air changed to the smell of rotting corpses.

Keroro shivered and hung on tighter to the rungs, "You know, its times like these that I wish Giroro were here."

Tamama was about to make a rude response, but the feeling of his feet hitting the ground at long last erased the thought from his mind.

Aki waved the flashlight all around the room. It was bigger than she had thought, around half the size of a football field. Indeed, a ladder did stand at the opposite end where her weak light's beam nearly didn't reach.

"That other ladder is surrounded by water…"

It was only then did they realize that the room contained nothing but two small metal grated islands and a huge expanse of water.

"Looks like we have to swim."

"This is too creepy," cried out Tamama, making the other two jump.

Suddenly, Aki caught a glimpse of something that stood out from the streaked metal walls and turned quickly, aiming the flashlight like a gun. With lightning reflexes, it recoiled, leaving only two ripples on the otherwise mirror-like surface of the water. "What the hell was that?"

Keroro was shocked to see Aki shaking in fear and realized for the first time, the magnitude of pressure he was putting on her. "We have to go on, but you Pekoponians aren't involved. The siege of Pekopon was your fight, and this is ours. I'm sure Fuyuki and Momoka need your help right now. I suggest you go up that ladder and-"

Aki's light flickered again. There was a weird grating noise.

The ladder leading back was gone.


	15. Blitzkrieg

Woo. It's been what…nearly a month? No comment on my update consistency.

**Chapter 15: Blitzkrieg**

**5:45 – Natsumi and Giroro. Mission: Secure a means of transport to escape after the assassination.**

Natsumi clung tight to Giroro as they crept along the outside perimeter of the grand capitol. This was his turf and they both knew it.

"Do not under any circumstances make any sudden movements," ordered Giroro through Kururu's silent communication device, "and if I tell you to run or duck or whatever, don't question me." Natsumi nodded fervently, a determined glimmer in her eyes.

A guard's flashlight beam washed over the ground in front of them causing the two to leap behind a grove of bushes. Natsumi reached for her waist and silently drew a pistol, but Giroro signaled for her to stop. "Leave him be. His outfit is equipped with sensors. If his pulse stops, an alarm automatically is activated."

"Got it," confirmed Natsumi, "Weapons only in a life or death situation."

Giroro smiled to himself. Natsumi was what his superiors would call a "born soldier". No doubt she would already be a lieutenant if she were Keronian. He motioned to the left, and the two darted across the empty grass to the safety of a tree. The going was slow. Giroro wished he could pull his machine gun and cut his way through the many patrols, but he knew that would only endanger his companions inside.

Natsumi glanced at Giroro while they waited for three guards to round the corner. She wished she could have a little time just to get reacquainted, but that would have to wait.

They sprinted out from behind the tree and dove into a patch of tall grass, and none too soon. A line of ten Keronians marching single exited out of a door and passed exactly where the two had previously been hiding. Their commanding officer spun around and began shouting commands.

Giroro sighed, trying to hide the immense pressure he was feeling. Turning toward his partner, he said, "Alright Natsumi, I suppose this is where I'm going to brief you on my plan. Looks like these ten idiots won't be moving along for a few minutes."

"I'm listening."

"57 meters north, and 32 meters west, we'll come upon the entrance to the Grand Capitol's military parking lot. There's heavy protection, and for good reason. The walls are too high for me to sneak over without using some kind of aid, but for a Pekoponian, tall as you are, it should be no problem."

"You want me to do this alone?"

"Of course not, Natsumi, I'm going to bluff my way in. Once both of us are past the guards, we'll have free reign to choose any military vehicle."

The commander stopped shouting and moved his platoon back toward the Grand Capitol's main entrance. As Natsumi and Giroro stealthily ran toward the entrance to the vehicle bay, the Corporal asked: "You know why we can't just shoot the guards, right?"

"You said the alarm would sound, right? More soldiers would come."

"I mean the real reason. We could probably take out all of them if we used stealth and watched each other backs."

Natsumi thought for a moment, but many moments later, she still had no idea. Giroro was disappointed, but covered it up by turning away from her. He motioned to a wall, "This is where you go up. See you on the other side."

His curtness surprised Natsumi so much, that she only nodded awkwardly in reply. As he disappeared from sight, the girl sized up the obstacle in front of her; no use regretting, Giroro would be much angrier is she didn't make it inside. The wall would be impossible for a Keronian to reach without the aid of a grappling hook or other type of scaling device, but for a dexterous Pekoponian, it wouldn't be too hard. With a grunt, she jumped and grabbed on to the ledge with one hand. It was higher than it looked from the ground, and it was going to be trouble to get her whole body over. A bead of sweat rolled down her cheek as she readied herself.

_3…2…1…NOW!_

Natsumi's other hand shot up and grabbed onto the ledge. Mustering all her strength, she pushed down hard on the wall, arching her back and flipping over the barrier. She went for the ten-point landing, but her exhausted legs gave out and she collapsed onto the cool concrete. Gripping her knees in pain, Natsumi stood up and surveyed her surroundings. Giroro was right. If he could bluff his way effectively inside, the world was theirs.

Outside, Giroro confronted the two guards stationed at the gate. They immediately raised their weapons, but Giroro calmly uttered: "Long Live Emperor Kamimi."

The guards stiffened into an upright pose and saluted, "Long Live Emperor Kamimi."

Giroro smile was paper thin as he took a daring step toward the barrels of the two guns pointed at him and said, "Why are you pointing those at me and said, "Why are you pointing those at me? I've gotten wind of intruders skulking around a good kilometer from here. Let's keep calm."

The two guards seemed to struggle with the concept, before finally blurting out, "How do we know you aren't one of them?"

Giroro shook his head in disdain, "Idiots. As I'm sure you've been told. These guys killed Dimentio and survived the Grand Capitol mortar barrage. They're highly trained and lucky if you ask me. Bottom line, if I were them, you two would be choking on your own blood right now."

The guards looked at each other for a second, and backed up, talking in hushed voices. Giroro checked the time. He had no idea how long it was going to take for Dororo and Koyuki to kill Kamimi, but he wanted to be ready early. "Listen, you still may end up choking on your own blood if you don't let me pass. I have orders to secure a military convoy to meet the menace head on."

The two armed soldiers turned back to Giroro and flicked the safeties off. "We decided that we don't trust you. We'll let you leave, but if you try anything funny, you're a goner."

Giroro held up his hands and took a step back. Suddenly, the alarm went off inside the main building. _Crap! That's Momoka and Fuyuki!_ The guards turned in surprise giving the Corporal time to whip his heavy machine gun from behind his back. _Now that the guards have found us out, there is no need to maintain secrecy anymore._

The guards quickly moved apart. "Shoot one and the other will kill you. Emperor Kamimi will never be harmed!"

Giroro realized the futileness of the situation and dropped his gun to the ground. The enemy soldiers smiled and lowered their weapons, choosing instead, to pull out spiked clubs.

Laughing evilly, the guard on the left kicked Giroro's gun away and pushed the club right up to the Corporal's face. "We'll beat you so bad. It's been a boring night. We'll say you attacked us and this was self defense."

Bullet met skull from Giroro's smoldering concealed pistol. "Don't you guys normally check for hidden weapons before torture?" he quipped, as the other guard screamed in rage. He grabbed for his gun, but Giroro got to him first. Gripping the guard in a headlock, he pushed him to the ground. His enemy tried to fight back with is right arm, but Giroro grabbed and broke it at the joint. Reaching forward, he deftly broke the guard's neck. All struggling ceased at once.

"Quick and merciful," he muttered to himself as he picked up his own heavy machine gun. Facing the door to the parking lot, he smiled a broad, insane smile. "This is payback for making Natsumi sad!"

Giroro kicked down the door and opened fire. He had packed the machine gun with incendiary rounds. Normally, piercing would be the choice bullet, but his objective at this point was to cause mayhem, not controlled carnage. "NOW THAT THE ALARM HAS BEEN TRIGGERED," Giroro shouted over the roar of his gun, "YOU DON'T NEED TO HOLD BACK!"

Natsumi heard from the driver's seat of a military jeep and made a move for the turret. With Giroro pounding the trigger from the doorway and Natsumi flanking them from the side, the guards and officials in the parking lot stood no chance.

Two soldiers near the entrance were carved up, flying ten feet backwards onto the concrete. The ones who dove for cover inside a troop transport vehicle were set ablaze by the incendiary rounds. Meanwhile, Natsumi targeted the fueling station causing an explosion to rip the roof off the nearby police kiosk.

A two soldiers tried to sneak behind Giroro, but the shockwave from an exploding tank sent a motorbike flying, pinning one of them against the wall. Giroro heard the other, and threw a knife at him. He turned with his machine gun ready, but the blood spatter on the wall told him the knife he done its job. With the parking lot already in ruins with burning soldiers running in disarray, Natsumi jumped back behind the wheel and hit the gas, sending a regrouping platoon scrambling for cover. Giroro saw her coming and stowed his gun. Jumping at the right moment, he grabbed on to the side bar and slid inside.

The alarms were going off all around the Grand Capitol now. Bruised, exhausted, and covered in soot, Natsumi just prayed that everyone else was doing as well as she was.


	16. Unforgivable

**Chapter 16: Unforgivable**

**Unknown Time, Unknown Place**

Sergeant Major Kururu stirred groggily. He tried to turn over, but the straps that bound his arm heavily restricted his movements. A beat passed in which Kururu's brain entered the correct time zone. His eyes flew open and he struggled hard against his bindings. Kururu tried to yell out for help, but his mouth had been securely gagged. His mind raced as he attempted to conceive of an escape plan, but without moving and stripped of his technology, no ideas were to be had.

The door opened and a guard walked in holding a heavy club. At first, Kururu's mind froze over at the prospect of being beaten, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized that this one guard could shift the balance in his favor. Kururu strained his eyeballs to look down at his hands. A two shining metal padlocks constricted his arms, and two more kept his legs from flailing around. There was a slot on each one which Kururu identified as a keycard lock. Sure enough, the guard approaching him with a dumb smirk on his face had a keycard tucked in his belt.

As the guard approached him, Kururu's spirits soared. If he was as stupid as he looked, tricking him would be a cinch. The Sergeant Major opened his mouth to begin a conversation, but the guard quickly leapt forward and smacked Kururu hard across the head.

Reeling from the sudden blow, Kururu performed a few basic head movements and felt a surge of relief to know that nothing was broken. "I was told not to let you speak!" cried the guard, holding the club up to his face like a security blanket, "The commander said you might trick me with your words."

Kururu swore quietly. They hadn't brought in a professional interrogator, but they gave a mindless drone, the orders of a pro. "Alright then, we'll jus-" Kururu's second attempt was met with a vicious kick to the side.

"DON'T SPEAK!" cried the guard, "I CAN'T HEAR YOU! LA LA LA LA LA LA!"

As his tormentor tried to block out all sound of Kururu's voice, the Sergeant Major felt a painful tug on his ego. _Is this all the Command thinks I'm worth? I don't even get a professional interrogator? Am I that lame of a criminal?_

Suddenly, the guard stopped and a euphoric expression crossed his face. "I know how to make you not talk! The Commander gave me all sorts of gadgets and told me I could use them how I like!" He skipped outside for a minute, before wheeling in a squeaky metal cart. Kururu looked at the cart in horror. Not even his own torture collection had that many metal instruments and he had been collecting Pekoponian artifacts for years. All at once, he knew the Command's plan. A professional interrogator is trained in special ways to inflict massive amounts of pain with minimal blood loss in order to ensure the subject's survival. With this brute however, it would be messy, slow, and would surely result in his death.

_Command doesn't care if I snitch on my team. They just want me dead, and if I do cave in, all the better._

The Sergeant Major felt fear welling in his heart for the first time in years. He had been in far more dire situations, but always with his platoon and technology to back him up. This time, nobody was coming for him.

Kururu mentally slapped himself. If there was ever a time for quick thinking, now was it. The guard began slowly examining all the instruments on the cart which gave Kururu's brain time to cover all the facts:

_The guard has the keycard. I need the keycard to unlock my legs and arms. From the looks of it, this table is made to fit a much larger captive. If I can get my arms free, I could pull my legs out in mere seconds._

Kururu strained to look behind himself.

_Looks like there's a computer terminal behind here; it's old but it still should be hooked up to the Grand Capitol server. If I can get on this computer, I can locate all the other teams and provide the backup which I'm sure they need._

The guard had gone through all the tools, but looked confused. In the end, he simply hefted up his club and slowly stumbled over towards Kururu.

_This guy is a serious idiot, but that's what makes him so dangerous. He knows only how to follow orders. I think the only way to get through to him is to invoke his soldier instinct._

"HEY!" called out Kururu, startling the guard for a second. He whipped around, club raised, a horrible grimace on his face. The Sergeant Major pretended like he was bracing himself for a blow, but then unexpectedly put on a stern scowl.

"SOLDIER! HALT!"

Faster than Kururu could have believed possible, the guard threw the club down and straightened up, uttering the obedient phrase: "Yes SIR!"

A moment passed in dead silence as Kururu struggled to refrain from bursting into hysterics. The first phase of his implausible plan had worked. It was now time to manipulate his mind. It took only a few seconds for the guard to recover. His hostile look changed to one of pure fear and guilt.

"You-you-you're not my commander," he stuttered, backing up against the wall, "H-how did you do that?"

_Standard reflexes. When you're trained from a young age, your mind becomes like a robot's coding where you respond instinctively and without thought to certain key words. Naturally, I can't tell him that, so what should…_

A thought came to Kururu's mind and he smiled with grim satisfaction. "I'm using my psychic powers."

"W-what?"

"I know it sounds crazy, but you just experienced it first hand," said Kururu, carefully picking his words to heighten the guard's sense of insecurity, "None of your bodily functions are safe from my mind's power. If I tell you to shoot yourself, you would."

"Impossible," the guard snorted, "You have no power. This is just the kind of trick my superiors said you might try and pull. I'll beat you good for trying to fool me!" With a yell, the muscular Keronian charged at the Sergeant Major. Kururu gritted his teeth in frustration. He knew that in a few seconds, he would be dead.

"TRIP!"

With a look of terror, the guard stumbled over his own feet and slammed into the metal wall of the torture chamber. Kururu laughed uproariously and for several minutes as a feeling of relief washed over him. No matter how much the guard tried to deny it, he really had believed in Kururu's powers.

"Suggestion: it'll get you every time," the Sergeant Major giggled, "Maybe I should teach an advanced psychology class once this is all over." As the guard had stumbled him, Kururu had managed to swipe the keycard from his belt loop. With a hiss, the locks holding his right arm fell away. Using his freed appendage, he quickly disengaged the security around his two legs and remaining arm.

He got up and casually stretched, feeling the pleasure of normal circulation. After two minutes, his face grew serious. Grabbing the guard's unconscious form, he dragged him into a closet and shut the door, sliding the cart full of torture instruments in front of it. Rushing over to computer terminal, he sat down and readied his fingers for what he did best.

Within seconds, the military grade security had been breached and the Sergeant Major was pouring over the live feeds from all of the complex's security cameras. It didn't take long for him to find Momoka and Fuyuki on the roof. The cannon was a burning wreck, its parts strewn all over the roof next to dozens of dead soldiers. Fuyuki and Momoka were crouched behind a metal doorway, exhausted from the looks of it, but nevertheless alright.

"I had no idea you were such the badass, Fuyuki," Kururu smirked, "I guess when your girl is in danger, you grow something of a spine. Good work."

Finding Natsumi and Giroro was even less trouble, as they had a left a river of twisted steel, fire, bullet holes, and bodies in their wake.

"Nice subtlety," the Sergeant Major commented, "You got us the ride, so I don't really care how you did it. One more team to check on."

It took Kururu a surprising half a minute to locate his team, and by then, he was red with anger. It was madness, like something out of a monster movie. Kururu's rage drained away as he watched his comrades battle a huge monster in what looked like the pits of hell. No matter how many Tamama Impacts and turbo rockets it took point blank, nothing seemed to be able to put it down. The Sergeant Major swore violently and dived for the intercom.

"NO TIME TO EXPLAIN!" he shouted. The surprised expressions from Aki and Keroro told him that his message was getting across loud and clear. "WHEN I TELL YOU TO JUMP, DON'T HESITATE OR YOU'RE DEAD!"

Quickly, he hacked into the generator's mainframe. He calculated it would take over twenty minutes to gnaw his way far enough into the security to turn off the generator, but he could change power allocations without much effort. Smiling at his genius, he rerouted several currents to the intercom system in the monster's chamber.

The artificial surge was too much for the system, and the intercom blew, causing a shorted wire to rocket toward the water. "JUMP!" cried Kururu, but then his blood turned cold. He had just destroyed the intercom system. Luckily, Aki, who had anticipated Kururu's plan, scooped up Keroro and Tamama in her arms and leaped into the air. The wire struck the water, causing the monster to fry on the spot. Immediately, Kururu shut off all current, allowing Aki to land safely back on the metal platform.

The Sergeant Major was filled with pompous glee. He had destroyed a Keronian sea monster with only his hacking skills and in less time than it took Aki to jump and land.

Kururu was the first to arrive at the extraction point, using his pocket generator to power a teleporter inside the torture room. Fuyuki and Momoka were next, stumbling out of a back entrance, having climbed the long stairwell once again. Natsumi embraced her brother, and Momoka promptly fell asleep in the back of the truck. Fuyuki covered her with a blanket and sat down to talk with Giroro about what was going to happen next.

It was not long after that, that Aki, Keroro, and Tamama came rushing out of the Grand Capitol with smiling faces. The complex was dark now, as all power had been cut. It was only a matter of time until…

Dororo and Koyuki melted out of the darkness. They both look solemn, rare for Koyuki.

"It is done," whispered Dororo, "Kamimi is dead."

Though some guards gave chase, they couldn't keep up with the truck, seeing that Natsumi and Giroro had destroyed their whole convoy. As Giroro steered the vehicle through the dark smoke of a burning city, he made a vow to himself. The monsters that had really been pulling the strings: they would not escape.

"Using Keronians to enslave Keronians," Keroro snarled, "It's unforgivable."

"What's the plan now?" asked Aki, ready for action.

"It's really simple," answered Keroro, a dry smile spreading across his face, "We go to wherever Dimentio came from and we do what we've been trained to do. Invade."

"But this time," Tamama added, "It's for revenge."


End file.
